The philosophy of community orientated policing is based on the concept that police officers and private citizens work together in creative ways to help solve or prevent contemporary community problems related to crime, fear of crime, social or physical disorder, and neighborhood quality of life issues. It involves citizens taking ownership of the neighborhoods in which they live, and the police taking ownership of the areas they patrol.
The emphasis of the Community Policing philosophy is prevention. In different communities, Community Policing takes different forms. Not all neighborhoods have the same needs and cannot be dealt with in the same manner.
The Town of DeWitt Police Department believes that policing is more than just law enforcement. We instill the concept of Community Policing in all of our employees - from line officers to clerical staff, and from patrol supervisors to the administration. In addition, we have formed a Community Policing Team that is dedicated to helping and working with citizens in local communities. The Team consists of a Sergeant who is the team leader, and Officers that are assigned to specific residential communities and commercial districts within the Town of DeWitt. Each officer is carefully selected, screened by the administration, and receives specialized training in the area of Community Orientated Policing, Crime Prevention, and Public Speaking. Depending on the neighborhood, community policing meetings are held several times throughout the year to update residents on police calls for service in their area, provide insight into crime prevention, and communicate specific needs or concerns for that given neighborhood. The meetings are usually held in designated neighborhoods and are attended by members of the community, our Community Policing Team, Police Administration, Town Board members, the DeWitt Animal Control Officer, and representatives from the Town Highway Department. Citizens are encouraged to express their concerns and ask questions of the town officials during the meeting. Community Policing meetings are vital to the partnership between police and the community in which they serve.
A major component of Community Policing is problem orientated policing. Instead of just arresting the perpetrators of crimes, the objective is to solve the problem that contributes to criminal activity or help deter behaviors that disturb the quality of life in a particular neighborhood.
The Community Policing Team will address concerns for specific neighborhoods with all the resources available from the Town of DeWitt Police Department. We have the ability to assign specialized teams and/or equipment depending on the issue. For example, if a citizen is concerned about speeding traffic on a specific street, the team leader can deploy the Radar Speed Sign to the problem area. If there are problems with vehicles being broken into overnight, the team leader can request bike officers patrol the area. If there are issues with underage drinking, drug use or sale of drugs, we can deploy unmarked police units and members of our Special Enforcement Team. In addition to responding to neighborhood problems, we offer community education to arm our citizens with strategies to protect themselves, their families and personal property.
Achieving a sustained, high quality police performance seems more important than ever. We honestly believe that the key to future successful policing lies with the concept of proactivity. We must work together to prevent crime so we can maintain a good quality of life for all our citizens.
Community Policing Complaint Form
For more information relative to our Community Policing Program, please contact Sergeant Scott Kapral, at communitypolicing@townofdewitt.com or 315-449-3640 ext 208. |