To bridge the gap in communications and understanding between the Tampa police and the community, the operations of other community relations programs were observed, and youth police aide programs and adult aide services, utilizing community organization facilities, were initiated in high crime areas. However, strong opposition to the youth police aide project from the local community, stemming from adverse results from a previous program, hampered its development, Several informational and public relations activities were established. In addition to four 15-minute television programs, periodic articles in the newspaper provided dates, places, and times of police-community relations meetings, summaries of past meetings, and a question-and-answer section on local and State laws. Positive response was elicited from police-community lectures at local schools and civil organizations. Also, a safety and entertainment movie program conducted by a uniformed police officer was initiated for youth during the school summer vacation period. Two traffic law classes were organized in one section of the city where juvenle traffic violations citations were high. The operation of the Police Athletic League was transferred to the Police-Community Relations program, which also developed the mobile police-community relations office for the Model Cities area. Last, a system of community service officers will be created under which individuals from 17 to 20 years of age, who possess the aptitude for police work, will perform limited police duties and maintain liaison with neighborhood juveniles. Brief descriptions of several police-community relations programs are provided, including film presentations; primary grade, junior high, and high school visitation; and programs for adult civic groups.
Police-Community Relations Program - City of Tampa, Florida Final Report
NCJ Number
73262
Date Published
Unknown
Length
24 pages
Annotation
A description of the development and operation of the Police-Community Relations program in Tampa, Fla., summarizes major program components and describes various audiovisual and discussion presentations on police work and crime prevention.
Abstract