NCJ Number
226094
Editor(s)
Deborah Spence
Date Published
April 2008
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This issue describes how one police department designed its new building to reflect community-policing activities, how the Office of Community-Oriented Policing (COPS) has helped tribal law enforcement implement community policing, community policing specialist versus generalists, the Secure Our Schools (SOS) Program, and a program of anti-methamphetamine training in Indian Country.
Abstract
The first article describes how the Milliken Police Department (Colorado) incorporated elements of community policing into the physical design of its new building. With funding from the COPS Office, the Milliken Police Department (MPD) convened a multidisciplinary focus group to discuss the facility’s design. The group discussed how the facility could be designed to support the primary community-policing elements of partnerships, organizational transformation, and problem-solving. This is followed by an article on the Tribal Resources Grant Program (TRGP), which is designed to improve tribal law enforcement infrastructure by providing critical resources, training, technical assistance, and other support necessary for implementing effective community policing strategies. Funding for fiscal year 2008 will enable Indian law enforcement agencies to acquire basic equipment and conduct training that will counter and prevent crime and crime-related activities on tribal lands. Another article distinguishes community-policing specialists from community-policing generalists, discussing the advantages and drawback of each approach. It then suggests a hybrid approach in which specialists focus on specific aspects of community policing that involve particular expertise, while all officers are encouraged to rely on the special unit for assistance in implementing their own community-policing efforts. Another article describes the SOS Program, which has awarded grants since 2000 that enable schools to purchase equipment, enhance school safety programs, and hire and train security personnel. The issue concludes with a description of a 2-day, tuition-free course that outlines the national methamphetamine trafficking problem and its effects on tribal community resources, criminal jurisdiction, and service programs.