Can Police Officers Get Back to Foot Patrol, Where They Meet/Engage
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Can police officers get back to foot patrol, where they meet/engage with residents and business owners in neighborhoods that are so-called high-crime and where the police/community relationship is mostly viewed as adversarial instead of working for the common good and a common goal? (Answer from BJ Wagner, Executive Director of the Caruth Police Institute) Foot patrols are a rich policing tradition and continue to serve a valuable purpose. However, recent years have seen advancements in this approach which may have also decreased the visibility of the traditional foot patrol. For instance, the Dallas Police Department has established neighborhood patrol units (NPU). These officers frequently walk neighborhoods, set up in coffee shops for “Coffee with a Cop”, host national night out events, and attend community gatherings as proactive outreach to the people they serve. Each NPU may structure their services differently depending on the desires or needs of their community. You can find out more about your neighborhood unit by contacting your local community engagement unit here: https://dallaspolice.net/Community and a great article on the teams here: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.texasmonthly.com/articles/dallas-police-chief-david- brown-and-community-policing/amp/ And more information on how Dallas recently began increasing traditional foot patrols here: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wfaa.com/amp/article/news/local/dallas-county/joining- dallas-police-on-foot-patrol/287-158549828 Many traditional foot patrol police programs have gradually merged to bicycle patrols. With cities growing and covering more geographic area the use of a bicycle allows an officer who may traditionally do foot patrol to still be readily available to the community but, literally, cover more ground and increase engagements. An example of a robust bicycle program is right here in Dallas. Another unique outreach program in Irving Is the Shop Talk Programs. This program places officers in local barber shops to engage community members in a relaxed social setting to hear more about what their community needs from their police department. You can find more here: https://www.fox4news.com/news/irving-officer-to-be-honored-for-program-bringing-cops- neighbors-together-at-barber-shops Unfortunately, the traditional foot patrol in its former purity is not widely used due to the expense. An officer on foot patrol cannot patrol a full 8 hours, requiring more frequent breaks, and cannot respond to calls for service that may be even a short distance away due to the time it takes to arrive at the scene. Although a patrol car is typically staged nearby, that distance remains difficult at times. So as a money saving effort as police workforces decrease many departments have moved to using bicycles, horses, and neighborhood outreach programs. But I believe we will see a resurgence of foot patrols in major cities much like we have in Dallas. Research supports this as a valuable community outreach technique and major city Chiefs are listening.https://www.policefoundation.org/projects/police-foot-patrol-case- studies-and-a-practical-guide/ Are there any plans for Spanish language training (so police officers can have better interactions with Spanish speakers)? (Answer from BJ Wagner, Executive Director of the Caruth Police Institute) This is an excellent and thoughtful question! Recently I had the opportunity to work on a policy and audit review with the Austin Police Department. We noted that areas of the city with high numbers of Spanish speaking households benefitted from a unique relationship with the APD and the National Alliance on Mental Illness in which NAMI hosted events and provided community members with Spanish language documents with specific instructions on helpful information for police when calling for a crisis response. The benefit of being multilingual is often seen in many areas of police work. So much so that bilingual officers in almost every major city receive additional pay, called a stipend, for being a lingual resource. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) has designed a course specific for law enforcement officers’ Spanish speaking educational needs. TCOLE keeps this training price low as an incentive to attend. I’ve posted the course and content abstract below: Spanish for Law Enforcement Distance #2110 (TCOLE) Package Course Description Knowing how to give basic Spanish commands, or ask basic questions, leads to greater effectiveness on the street. If a police officer can ask a Spanish speaking witnesses for a description of an assailant, or a description of a car used in a drive-by, it will speed up the investigation. This course meets Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) intermediate Spanish mandate requirement Course #2109 or #2110. Topics • Building community relations • Controlling the situation • Field interview • Weapons on the street • Illegal drugs • Emergency situations • Traffic violations • DUI • Domestic situations • Criminal activity • Suggested Audience You can find more information on the wide array of law enforcement educational requirements and state offerings at the TCOLE website here: https://www.tcole.texas.gov .