| A Conversation With Captain Terry Hara
Captain Terry S. Hara, Commanding Officer, LAPD. |
For Captain Terry Hara, the biggest challenge in community
policing is simply educating the public about the role of the
police.
According to Captain Hara, the Commanding Officer of the Training
Division of the Los Angeles Police Department, residents sometimes
have no idea what community policing is all about, and it's
difficult to find a way to tell them. He realizes that police
officers do not have time to explain everything, but he said
officers must understand that every call essentially involves
public relations.
This difficult challenge is just one of many for community
policing officers, but Captain Hara seems to relish the challenges,
if only because they make the successes sweeter.
At a training event for Washington, DC, police officers in
January, Captain Hara told how his department and other agencies
once put together a 6-week summer work program for 400 kids
in just 90 days.
“People will tell you, ‘You can't do it.' Don't take that
as a final answer,” he said.
Captain Hara believes community policing is founded on partnership
building, comprehensive strategies, community involvement,
and information sharing. He sees a lot of similarities with
the Weed and Seed strategy and what police departments are
trying to achieve in their communities. “Weed and Seed is community
policing at its best,” he said.
Captain Hara describes Weed and Seed as the bigger picture;
if law enforcement and community leaders use the Weed and Seed
strategy, then officers and community members will follow. “It
makes everyone's job easier,” he said.
Ideally, Captain Hara would like to see officers assigned
full time to Weed and Seed, helping its staff to coordinate
programs. He feels Weed and Seed is so successful that there
ought to be more sites, and the Weed and Seed method applied
to law enforcement structuring. “We need to change the paradigm
of thinking in policing,” he said.
Overall, police officials need to get communities more involved
in police activity, Captain Hara believes, and police departments
must reciprocate and get other agencies involved in improving
their communities.
The police department must work within the community to build
different kinds of relationships.
It is important for law enforcement and youth to understand
each other, said Hara, and perhaps just as important, the department
must have a direct relationship with the local housing authority.
Captain Hara also advises taking advantage of the media. “Advertise.
There's nothing wrong with being proud of what you do,” he
said, adding that when you promote your program, it gives it
more credibility.
The power of the community is not to be underestimated. Volunteers
from the community can prove invaluable, providing guidance
as well as immediate help for specific projects. During the
training event, Captain Hara reminded officers that the police
don't always know what's best for the community but once a
relationship is established, community members can really help
out.
“When a community sees a good thing, it will always be behind
you,” Captain Hara said.
For further information, contact:
Captain Terry Hara
310-342-3010
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