NCJ Number
229656
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 79 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2010 Pages: 12-15
Date Published
January 2010
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article examines an initiative developed by the Albemarle County, VA Police Department to promote positive interaction between law enforcement and the media.
Abstract
In 2006, the Albemarle County Police Department examined its outstanding warrants and juvenile detention orders and found that members of its own department and other local law enforcement agencies obtained 97 percent of these. This finding indicated that these warrants identified local crime potentially committed by local people and that this negatively impacted the community. The police chief and the commander of the Community Support Division developed the idea for Operation Spring Cleaning, based on similar programs and involved cooperation between the police department and the media to place advertisements in the local print media naming persons wanted by the jurisdiction. The article discusses the logistical issues involved in developing and implementing the program, and details the launch of the initiative. The article also examines some of the problems that resulted from the initiative. The author concludes that the initiative was a huge success due to the positive interaction between the police and the media and the willingness of the community to become involved in the effort. 4 endnotes