Chief
07-22-2007, 11:13 AM
http://columbian.com/news/localNews/07222007news171403.cfm
Vancouver Chief of Police Cliff Cook envisions a city where residents know the person who shows up when they call the police.
About three months after taking over, Cook is restructuring the department to focus on community policing.
It's a term that's been batted around since the mid-1990s and has lots of definitions, even among law enforcement officials.
Cook explains it as a partnership. That partnership pulls together officers, other city departments, business owners and residents.
By reassigning some detectives to patrol, he is setting up a system that allows officers to work in smaller geographic areas. The goal is to allow the officers to get to know the corner of the community that constitutes their "beat" as well as the people and businesses there.
The department did not hire any new staff to put the plan in place, Cook said.
He put a similar program in place during his tenure as Fort Worth, Texas where he served as a deputy chief.
"It was rough at first," he admitted.
At least two members of the Vancouver department are optimistic.
Lt. Dave King works out of East Precinct and applauds the plan's emphasis on empowering officers. Along with that additional responsibility will come increased accountability.
There will also be the opportunity to prevent problems or solve them while they are still small.
"I think everybody's excited and willing to give it a chance."
**SCHNIPP**
I think a lot of people here in this end of town were hoping that the new Chief would come out in support of better Comunity Policing. It can be a very effective tool if properly used, but it will depend on stable funding of the Police Department here in Vancouver by the City Council.
The City's track record on supporting the Police under Mayor Pollard's tenure has been spotty at best; with the Mayor repeatedly making references to cutting law enforcement here in town as a budget cutting measure. We heard any number of thinly veiled threats like that last year when the City was trying to hammer out the B&O Tax.
At the same time, enforcement of even the traffic laws here in Cascade Park has been a nightmare, in large part because there has been no coordinated plan for Community Policing in problem areas. We have an ongoing thread right here at Clarkblog about some of the neighborhood problems with Comminity Policing issues...
<a href="http://clarkblog.org/index.php/topic,1182.0.html">is it legal to give a cop the finger??</a>
That situation is ongoing, and has never been resolved because a lot of the neighbors are afraid to even confront that guy, the neighborhood mediation office refused to get involved, and we have a Vancouver police officer right here in the neighborhood...
I'm glad Chief Cook is pursuing this policy, and for my part I will watch very closely to see how much support he gets on this plan from the City of Vancouver.
Developing...
Vancouver Chief of Police Cliff Cook envisions a city where residents know the person who shows up when they call the police.
About three months after taking over, Cook is restructuring the department to focus on community policing.
It's a term that's been batted around since the mid-1990s and has lots of definitions, even among law enforcement officials.
Cook explains it as a partnership. That partnership pulls together officers, other city departments, business owners and residents.
By reassigning some detectives to patrol, he is setting up a system that allows officers to work in smaller geographic areas. The goal is to allow the officers to get to know the corner of the community that constitutes their "beat" as well as the people and businesses there.
The department did not hire any new staff to put the plan in place, Cook said.
He put a similar program in place during his tenure as Fort Worth, Texas where he served as a deputy chief.
"It was rough at first," he admitted.
At least two members of the Vancouver department are optimistic.
Lt. Dave King works out of East Precinct and applauds the plan's emphasis on empowering officers. Along with that additional responsibility will come increased accountability.
There will also be the opportunity to prevent problems or solve them while they are still small.
"I think everybody's excited and willing to give it a chance."
**SCHNIPP**
I think a lot of people here in this end of town were hoping that the new Chief would come out in support of better Comunity Policing. It can be a very effective tool if properly used, but it will depend on stable funding of the Police Department here in Vancouver by the City Council.
The City's track record on supporting the Police under Mayor Pollard's tenure has been spotty at best; with the Mayor repeatedly making references to cutting law enforcement here in town as a budget cutting measure. We heard any number of thinly veiled threats like that last year when the City was trying to hammer out the B&O Tax.
At the same time, enforcement of even the traffic laws here in Cascade Park has been a nightmare, in large part because there has been no coordinated plan for Community Policing in problem areas. We have an ongoing thread right here at Clarkblog about some of the neighborhood problems with Comminity Policing issues...
<a href="http://clarkblog.org/index.php/topic,1182.0.html">is it legal to give a cop the finger??</a>
That situation is ongoing, and has never been resolved because a lot of the neighbors are afraid to even confront that guy, the neighborhood mediation office refused to get involved, and we have a Vancouver police officer right here in the neighborhood...
I'm glad Chief Cook is pursuing this policy, and for my part I will watch very closely to see how much support he gets on this plan from the City of Vancouver.
Developing...