« Strengthen Departmental Collaboration

COP " [...] broadens the police mandate beyond a narrow focus on fighting crime, to include efforts that also addresses, fear of crime, social and physical disorder, and neighborhood decay. The traditional policing implies that the police department imposes law and order on the community "

It is impossible for the police to prevent crime, if they don't know the people and problems of the community. The various outreach approaches that bring officers in touch with the citizens in the community do much to provide the police with the information they need. The Police Department should recognize, however, that many other people in the City government daily come in contact with people and problems throughout the City.

With the emphasis on crime prevention, the City should develop a process that broadens the lines of communications between the Police Department and other City departments. The Police should define the type of information that will be most beneficial to crime prevention. A plan should be developed for an ongoing exchange of information between departments.

Community Oriented Policing in Takoma Park should use creative problem solving as a key ingredient. In many cases this will require expertise and services outside of the Police Department. Although the Police Department can identify potential crime problems and formulate plans to prevent the criminal activity, all City Departments must work cooperatively in implementing the plans for COP to be successful.

Based on Takoma Park's history in using COP, many of the best plans for circumventing crime use a citizen development strategy. Youth programs offer an alternative outlet for young people. Educational programs help people overcome limitations, giving them alternatives to crime. Other programs provide similar beneficial development opportunities for our residents.

Currently, the City Departments work together on many programs. This collaborative approach should be strengthened and expanded to include public safety goals. For example, the Police Department must expand their cooperative work with the Recreation Department to identify potentially beneficial programs that can fill specific needs of our City's youth.

The Housing Department performs Code Enforcement to ensure the quality of our community's neighborhoods. With COP's orientation toward crime prevention and recent recognition that rundown neighborhoods lead to increased crime, Code Enforcement becomes an important part of crime prevention.

As previously mentioned, beat Officer and Sergeant teams should meet periodically to exchange ideas and share information. Part of those meetings should be brainstorming solutions to problems. Just as there will occasionally be a need for resources in the form of specialized officer assignments, there will also be needs for other resources. A process should be developed that will bring the Police and other City Departments together to address resource needs that include multiple departments.

This cooperation should be institutionalized, incorporating public safety strategies as part of each Department's planning process. Since funding is always a limiting factor, the interdepartmental cooperation must use a prioritization scheme for selecting solutions.

COP offers the potential of a cost-effective solution to crime in our community. Although we expect the implementation of COP to reduce crime and thereby expenses, there may be new costs associated with COP.

It is advisable that each City Department considers public safety needs when developing their respective budgets. With the recommendation that the Police Department coordinate their solutions with the other City Departments, there may be effects on all departmental budgets. This potential should not be overlooked when prioritizing budget items.