Community Policing

[LeftyDiego]

Yes, 25 in a 20 was written. My Mom got one also. But it was dismissed, some thing as a lifelong resident.

 

[herohog]

I was once ticketed on I-20 for 3 miles over the limit... THREE! State trooper, dunno why he did it. I wasn't doing anything other than cruising along at a whopping 3 miles over the limit. That is pushing it. I just can't see it, ESPECIALLY on an Interstate, for anything under 5 over.

 

[ta2d_cop]

I lived in a city in Texas that implemented community policing. One aspect was bike patrol in residential neighborhoods. Great idea, right? Well the bike patrol also carried portable radar units and would write citations to all of the friendly residents of the neighborhoods they were supposed to get to know. I guess that was a way to introduce themselves to the citizens. I have to admit it was great cover. Who thinks a guy on bike is shooting radar?

The problem with smaller departments and/or cash strapped departments implementing a Community Policing program is that the try to do so by making patrol officers function as community policing officers as well. You have that patrolman handling calls for service and proactive patrol in the same area that he is supose to be issuing hugs for thugs under the guise of Community Policing. Then the comunity actually gets more disenfranchised with the police, thus having the opposite effect as desired.

Ideally you want to have Community Policing Officers integrated into patrol whose only function is community policing. They do the hugging and kissing and handle minor criminal complaint relative to community issues (Loitering, graffiti, and other nussance type crime) and leave the skull dragging and real policing to the patrol units and other specialized units.

Community Policing should be a specialized unit, just like Narcotics, SWAT, Street Crimes, and the like. Not everyone can be a Community Police Officer.

Where you run into problems is the increase in staffing this requires, especially in a community that has funding issues or has a good relationship with the community.

The reality is that for most departments around here what they call "Community Policing" is actually just patrol. Our department's idea of Community Policing is to patrol neighborhoods and subdivisions, as well as high population areas, such as shopping malls and parks. Thats not real Community Policing, thats patrolling.

 

[glimmerman]

25 in a 20 mph zone is BS. I'm amazed that a cop would do this, unless he was trying to alienate the neighborhood.

Just another hidden tax............

 

[Suburbazine]

We've got 3 or 4 officers that patrol my neighborhood 24/7. Surrounded by crime...but none inside the boundaries. Houses on the fringe occasionally get burgled, but that's about it.

There is a rule against writing tickets to residents, but they can hand out warning citations all day long and deliver notifications to kids' parents.

 

[4sooth]

Local communities have asked for this type of policing believing it will make them immune from the law! I live here--why are you writing me a ticket? We only want you to ticket people who do not live here!!

 

[Suburbazine]

Local communities have asked for this type of policing believing it will make them immune from the law! I live here--why are you writing me a ticket? We only want you to ticket people who do not live here!!

It does, in a way. They are on our dime when they're here. You wouldn't expect a patrol officer to write a ticket to the Mayor, do you?

 

[dydog4566]

More Jails, if you build them, they will come