Integrated Community Policing
Many of our parents, or, at the very least, our grandparents, grew up in an era when it was not necessary to lock your doors. Their children could roam the neighborhood until dark but knew that if they did anything wrong their parents would know about it before they got home. School problems involved chewing gum in class and getting caught smoking in the bathroom. coke was a soft drink, hash came with eggs, LSD and PCP were just scrambled letters of the alphabet. Everyone knew the neighborhood policeman and when they spoke the name, they did so with respect. Today we think of ourselves as a more civilized people but in truth we have digressed past just locking our doors and equipping our homes with alarm systems. We keep our children in sight for fear of stranger abductions. People don't know their neighbor's name and look our for only their own. Students carry weapons and schools are safe havens for drug dealers. What went wrong?
Policemen have become strangers and when bad things happen, witnesses are afraid to talk for fear of involvement. More people became victims and some victims went on to victimize others. The public has said enough is enough, something has to be done. What worked before can work again, but we need to start talking to each other, trusting each other, and once again begin working together. The community policing concept provides this opportunity.
Community policing is a simple concept that is recognized by law enforcement leaders. It requires that police be responsive to community needs. In order to do that police must be aware of those needs. This requires close communication with the community since the police cannot determine the needs accurately. As the community realizes the police are responsive to their needs, trust will increase. With an increase of trust comes even more cooperation and communication providing a benefit to police efficiency and community satisfaction - satisfaction which comes from a reduction of crime.
- Community policing will be the philosophy of the entire department, not just a specialty unit within the department. The road deputies assigned to a particular section of the county will be the departmental representatives in our community policing strategy. They are the neighborhood police officers for many areas of the county.
- Deputies and area supervisors will be held accountable for establishing contacts with local community leaders. Sheriff’s Department personnel will be available for attendance at village and town board meetings consistent with the wishes of the board.
- The establishment of regular community forums to provide citizens the opportunity to communicate their needs leading to greater trust and cooperation between the community and their police departments.
- The Erie County Sheriff’s Department is a public service agency and the residents of the community deserve the very best service possible.
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