110 lines
5.1 KiB
Plaintext
110 lines
5.1 KiB
Plaintext
POLICE PRACTICES: CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEES
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By
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Major Dan Flynn, M.P.A.
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Northside Station Commander
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Metro Dade, Florida, Police Department
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Like many law enforcement agencies around the Nation, the
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Metro Dade, Florida, Police Department embraces the community
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policing model as a way to forge closer relationships between the
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police and citizens. The department's strategy involves several
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elements, including a special community-oriented police squad,
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team police units, and a tactical drug team that conducts
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large-scale sweeps of drug-infested neighborhoods.
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However, the basic component of the Metro Dade approach is a
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system of citizen advisory committees that operate in each police
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district. By working closely with these committees, police
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administrators can more closely tailor departmental services to
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the specific needs of residents.
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JURISDICTION
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The jurisdiction of the Metro Dade Police Department covers
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1,840 square miles, which is almost entirely suburban, with a
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population exceeding 1 million. To serve the residents of the
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county effectively, the department divides its patrol force into
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seven districts, each with approximately 225 sworn and nonsworn
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employees. The seven districts house relatively distinct
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geographic, economic, ethnic, and demographic segments of the
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county's population.
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CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEES
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Each district has a citizen advisory committee composed of
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representatives from various segments of the community. These
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groups include homeowners, business operators, public housing
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residents (if applicable), church and school representatives, and
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others. On a regular basis, the committees meet with the command
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staff and officers of their district to discuss community
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problems.
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The advisory committees focus on local concerns. One
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committee from a predominantly middle-class district works with
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the district police staff to develop antigraffiti strategies.
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Another committee, representing a primarily retail business
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district, works with the police to deal with problems involving
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roadside vendors. Another, from an economically disadvantaged
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district, works with the police in focusing on street-level drug
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trafficking.
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While the concerns of both citizens and police may
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periodically change as existing problems are resolved and new
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ones emerge, the basic process remains the same. Committee
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members express their concerns, the district police staff advises
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on the legal parameters of different approaches, and both groups
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then discuss the feasibility of various options. Once a course
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of action is implemented, the advisory committees and district
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police officers monitor progress closely and make necessary
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adjustments. By keeping the number of objectives manageable, the
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districts can address all committee concerns simultaneously.
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COMMITTEE MAKEUP
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Each committee is composed of 15 volunteers, recommended by
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community groups and appointed by the county manager. In
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addition, because meetings are open to the public, some of the
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committees have several nonmember observers who attend on a
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regular basis.
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There is no set limit as to the number of terms a committee
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member may serve. However, a moderate natural attrition rate and
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the subsequent entry of new members prevent committees from
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becoming stagnant.
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BENEFITS
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Involving citizens in the police planning process produces
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more than the inherent benefits of collaborative decisionmaking.
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Committee members quickly learn the limitations--as well as some
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of the frustrations--that police officers experience in
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confronting various enforcement problems. Citizens also
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experience first-hand the impact of citizen involvement and
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cooperation on law enforcement initiatives. At the same time,
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members of the police department develop and refine a
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problem-solving process that all employees in the agency can
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employ.
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The police department as a whole also benefits from the
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focus provided by the committees. As suburban crime rates rise
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nationwide, the resources of such agencies as the Metro Dade
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Police Department become increasingly strained. The advisory
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committees assist police managers to direct the department's
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efforts in the most efficient and effective manner possible.
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CONCLUSION
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Communication between citizens and the police represents an
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integral feature of the community policing concept. Citizen
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advisory committees developed by the Metro Dade Police Department
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help to foster and coordinate the type of cooperation necessary
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to resolve entrenched community problems. These committees not
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only help to direct police resources to the specific problems
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being experienced in the community but they also give concerned
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citizens an opportunity to cultivate ongoing relationships with
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officers in their individual districts. It is through such open
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communication that police departments and communities together
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make the best use of limited resources to resolve crime problems. |