APD Annual Reports - 2019 Annual Report | Page 36

Geographic Policing - East 2019 FOCUS: Violent Crime Geographic Policing Citizen Engagement In 2019, crime drivers included crimes against persons and aggravated assaults. Robberies were also a driver as well as fraud offenses. Officers will continue to focus their efforts on hot spot locations where criminal activity is elevated. The district also enhanced their community engagement efforts by adding a new youth initiative entitled C.H.A.M.P.S. The C.H.A.M.P.S. program is centralized at John’s Elementary School where officers mentor children from an academic perspective. Children are paired with mentors for at least a year and officers combine social skill building activities with educational field trips. The East District Foot Patrol Unit is highly successful in building strong 36 | 2019 Annual Report community relationships in multi-family housing areas. From playing sports with kids to helping repair properties through manual labor, officers take ownership in ensuring residents are the priority and have a safe place to live and raise a family.