What makes a great police force?
February 26, 2010 2:48 PM Subscribe
What are some innovative small-town police programs or practices?
I guess if an idea scales down, it doesn't need to be a "small-town" program -- but in general I'm looking for things that police do in your town that make you say, "What an interesting way for police to fight crime/help keep me safe/interact with the community."
And by "small" I mean <10,000 population.
I guess if an idea scales down, it doesn't need to be a "small-town" program -- but in general I'm looking for things that police do in your town that make you say, "What an interesting way for police to fight crime/help keep me safe/interact with the community."
And by "small" I mean <10,000 population.
Best answer: Our small town police force actually puts some thought into how they write the police log that shows up in the weekly paper and I think this is a sort of public face to the local police that helps them seem friendly and familair [plus we know them all anyhow, but when I first moved to town this was a big deal]
posted by jessamyn at 3:09 PM on February 26, 2010
posted by jessamyn at 3:09 PM on February 26, 2010
Small town? Absolutely. Innovative? I guess you could say that. Am I anything other than embarrassed for my home state? No.
Presenting the Picayune, Mississippi "Wheel of Justice." More info here.
posted by thebrokedown at 3:22 PM on February 26, 2010
Presenting the Picayune, Mississippi "Wheel of Justice." More info here.
posted by thebrokedown at 3:22 PM on February 26, 2010
My friend Rich is chief of police in a tourist town on Cape Cod, and shortly after he took over he put some cops on mountain bikes. Cheaper, fitter, greener, and can chase pedestrians better.
posted by nicwolff at 4:10 PM on February 26, 2010
posted by nicwolff at 4:10 PM on February 26, 2010
Response by poster: Jessamyn, is that police log online? I couldn't find it through their website.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 4:43 PM on February 26, 2010
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 4:43 PM on February 26, 2010
Best answer: Every cop and firefighter in my town seems to have a pocket solely devoted to carrying stickers and temporary tattoos for little kids. I mean, it's every. single. cop.
Makes instant friends wherever they go, because they're heroes to kids, and it's a nice little touch for the parents -- makes the parents feel like they're doing something good by encouraging good interaction with the cops.
Clearly, it's not an accident -- someone at the station is encouraging and facilitating this. "Got your badge? Handcuffs? Stickers? Here, take some more stickers. All right, have a good day!"
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:08 PM on February 26, 2010 [5 favorites]
Makes instant friends wherever they go, because they're heroes to kids, and it's a nice little touch for the parents -- makes the parents feel like they're doing something good by encouraging good interaction with the cops.
Clearly, it's not an accident -- someone at the station is encouraging and facilitating this. "Got your badge? Handcuffs? Stickers? Here, take some more stickers. All right, have a good day!"
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:08 PM on February 26, 2010 [5 favorites]
Several US cities have passed "Lowest Law Enforcement Priority" initiatives, which instruct local cops to focus resources on violent and property crime rather than on marijuana offenses. Basically, cops are told not to waste their time busting people who use drugs recreationally as long as there are other, more pressing crimes still going on. Such initiatives also often focus on treatment rather than incarceration for drug offenders, which has been found to be thousands of dollars cheaper per participant.
posted by decathecting at 8:57 PM on February 26, 2010
posted by decathecting at 8:57 PM on February 26, 2010
Well, my city is 60K, but ....
Even though I have one situation that isn't being solved satisfactorily (partly because it goes beyond police jurisdiction), I'm pretty happy with our local cops. Especially the current and immediate prior chiefs have been smart guys who encourage their staffs to be creative. They recently had a seminar on problem-solving policing. We have also had community liaison officers although the funding for that dropped out and the guy was reassigned.
County-wide, we have a drug court and are setting up a veterans court (although my impression of the latter is less positive as it smacks of special treatment). We also have a recognized program called Workenders that allows non-violent criminals and fine absconders to work off what they owe instead of taking up a jail cell. Related is the RECAP restorative justice and rehabilitation program.
Wisconsin, of course, was the first state to have work release (aka Huber law), although for a variety of reasons that's attenuating.
posted by dhartung at 12:38 PM on February 27, 2010
Even though I have one situation that isn't being solved satisfactorily (partly because it goes beyond police jurisdiction), I'm pretty happy with our local cops. Especially the current and immediate prior chiefs have been smart guys who encourage their staffs to be creative. They recently had a seminar on problem-solving policing. We have also had community liaison officers although the funding for that dropped out and the guy was reassigned.
County-wide, we have a drug court and are setting up a veterans court (although my impression of the latter is less positive as it smacks of special treatment). We also have a recognized program called Workenders that allows non-violent criminals and fine absconders to work off what they owe instead of taking up a jail cell. Related is the RECAP restorative justice and rehabilitation program.
Wisconsin, of course, was the first state to have work release (aka Huber law), although for a variety of reasons that's attenuating.
posted by dhartung at 12:38 PM on February 27, 2010
I looked for it and couldn't find it. Feel free to write to the editor to see if he could send you some columns, they're great reading.
posted by jessamyn at 1:43 PM on February 27, 2010
posted by jessamyn at 1:43 PM on February 27, 2010
I used to regularly bang around in some small towns like this. I used to regularly (and excessively) speed through this one small town in North Dakota on my way elsewhere. There just wasn't any reason to slow down. Until one day. I had zipped passed the city limit sign (pop. in the low 500 range, if I remember) and just about had a coronary when I realized I had just blasted by a police car sitting half-hidden under a willow tree just off the road. Needless to say, I regularly obeyed all proper speed limits upon entering that town. Until one day. I realized that that cop car NEVER FREAKING MOVED. EVER. So I stopped one day and walked over there to find a car, probably rescued from a junk yard, missing two wheels. Freshly painted black and white with what looked like latex house paint. A block of wood on the roof (painted red) served for it's bubble light. I had been hoodwinked for about two months. Total outlay for them was about $100 maybe? And they got all of us raucous out of towners to slow down as we went through their town. Well played, local small town cops. Well played.
posted by Spyder's Game at 4:05 PM on March 12, 2010
posted by Spyder's Game at 4:05 PM on March 12, 2010
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posted by asterisk at 2:59 PM on February 26, 2010 [1 favorite]