COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING PHILOSOPHY

Community Oriented Policing (COP) is a policing philosophy based on several key values and beliefs:

• COP considers that the mission of the police is to provide professional, disciplined policing services designed to ensure the safety and security of our community.

• COP embraces two key policing strategies:   Response to Incidents (R2I) and Problem Oriented Policing (POP).

• COP balances the use of these two strategies through careful, continuous analysis of activity patterns that  permit a different police response to different community needs.

• COP requires the professional commitment and creative involvement of every member of the police department, associated public and private agencies and members of the community.

• COP recognizes that, regardless of a person's socioeconomic status, race, national origin, language, age or  religion, each person has a right to high quality police services.

• COP also recognizes that crime and disorder are only part of the many issues that police have to deal with in a complex and dynamic city.

COP is a philosophy by which all police services are provided to the community, including all the following fundamental police functions:

• Responding to the public's call for police assistance

• Enforcing the law

• Maintaining order in the community

• Providing emergency services

• Preventing crime
  

• Investigating criminal activity
  

• Arresting and interviewing offenders
  

• Collecting and analyzing evidence
  

• Assisting with the prosecution of offenders
  

• Testifying in court
  

• Incarcerating offenders and managing the jail
  

• Traffic management and services
  

• Organized crime intelligence gathering and investigation
  

• Vice control
  

• Investigating drug related crimes
  

• White collar crime
  

• Juvenile crime
  

• Dispute resolution
  

• Community education
  

• Providing information and referral
  

• Special event management
  

• Providing police service for special community circumstances

• Working with other law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels
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OUTCOMES FROM THE COP PHILOSOPHY

Since 1992, as a result of implementing these fundamental policing functions, in the context of the Community Oriented Policing Philosophy, we have substantially reduced the overall crime rate, and have made great strides towards our goal of making Weed one of the safest cities in the nation. We recognize that this is a continuous endeavor and we are committed to the continual production of these community outcomes:

• A safe and peaceful community with neighborhood pride
• Effective crime prevention and law enforcement
• Swift apprehension of offenders
• Safe flowing traffic
• No visible signs of disorder
• Effective relationships with the community and other organizations
• A vital economic climate for business and a nurturing community climate for residents