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Community Policing at Its Best: Award Winners Share Ideas Worth Replicating

NCJ Number
185427
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 27 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2000 Pages: 34-40
Author(s)
Rebecca Kanable
Date Published
October 2000
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article reports on interviews with some of the winners of the 1999 Community Policing Award, sponsored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and ITT Industries Night Vision, as they share their thoughts on community policing and their innovative ideas for programs.
Abstract
In discussing why community policing must be the wave of the future for policing, Capt. Michael Lee of the Beaufort Police Department (South Carolina) advises that the resources of the police are not sufficient to address the kinds of crime problems confronting communities today. The police and the community must cooperate in developing ideas and resources to identify and resolve community crime problems. In commenting on community-policing responsibilities, Chief Todd Miller of the White Bear Lake Police Department (Minnesota) says that police sergeants are told they should view themselves as chiefs of police in their "quad." They have the responsibility of identifying neighborhood public safety problems and developing cooperative interactions with community leaders and residents that facilitate making the community safer. The interviews also focused on the various mechanisms police departments have used to provide for communicating with community organizations and residents. These include management teams composed of police and community leaders; monthly police meetings with key community representatives, including youth; and door-to-door police surveys to determine citizen attitudes and perceptions regarding public safety. Other issues covered in the interviews were youth-oriented policing and partnering with the community.