The Concept

Police departments are in the business of changing human behavior. They want to discourage criminal acts and arrest those who act criminally. They want to encourage feelings of safety and security in the mind of every law abiding citizen. Finally, they seek to create community stability sufficient for citizens to walk their streets with their loved ones without fear. At this point in time, community policing is a concept currently being advocated by our new Chief of Police Edward A. Flynn. It is a concerted effort to build cooperation between neighborhood stakeholders at all levels through identification of specific concerns and working with the department in “joint police-community interventions”. It is implemented by: 1. Focused, mutually agreed upon goals and objectives. Environments that support criminal activity are addressed through a “partnership ” with local organizations that focuses on elimination of those conditions. 2. Effective communication between police and local members that foster an “intimate knowledge ” of the community. 3. Establishing a relationship of “trust ” among all parties. 4. Providing a long term commitment to mutually agree upon goals and objectives focused on the “underlying causes of crime”. 5. Making “effective use ” of the “talents and resources ” residing in the community in order to fully establish a working and on-going relationship between the police and the local community members that reduces levels of crime