Garner Police Department 2019 Annual Report Published August 2020 | Page 8

Community Policing COMMUNITY POLICING IS our philosophy and organizational strategy that promotes a partnership between citizens and their police force, problem-solving, and crime prevention. It is based on the premise that both the police and the community must work together to identify, prioritize, and solve contemporary problems such as: Crime, The fear of crime, Social and physical disorder, and Overall neighborhood decay …With the goal of improving the overall quality of life. Community Policing in Garner encompasses all that we do as law enforcement officers and employees daily— whether we are involved in education, enforcement, partnerships, prevention, or problem solving we are following the community policing philosophy. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT The Garner Police Department encourages and is committed to having our employees and our department involved with community activities and outreach to develop and maintain working relationships with the people we serve. The department was involved with the following activities, programs, and projects during 2019: CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY The Citizens’ Police Academy, a 10-week-long program, is an opportunity for citizens to learn how our Police Department works, to meet officers who work in their community, and to learn more about what it means to be a police officer in Garner today. The Department conducted two ten-week sessions in 2019; one in the spring and a second in the fall. Nineteen students graduated from the spring academy while eight students graduated from the fall academy. The goal of the Academy is to build relationships between officers and the community through better understanding of our jobs and functions. It also provides a forum for feedback and suggestions for improvement. Each week, one or more topics are taught by members of the Department. Citizens have opportunities for hands-on practical exercises where appropriate. The following classes are currently taught: Introduction to Class/Department Overview, Communications, Vehicle Stops, Drug Investigations/K-9, Arrest, Search and Seizure, Domestic Violence Investigations, Use of Force, Rapid Deployment, and Traffic Enforcement/ Crash Analysis/DWI Detection. After graduation, students are given an opportunity to apply for the Citizens and Police Together team (CAPT). CITIZENS AND POLICE TOGETHER (CAPT) Citizens and Police Together (CAPT) is a volunteer group composed of Citizens’ Police Academy graduates who are willing to volunteer their time to give back to their community. The CAPT mission statement is, “The goal of the Citizens and Police Together team is to partner with the officers and support personnel to provide extra assistance as needed, to be a positive influence, and to return a service to the citizens of Garner that will make a great community even greater”. CAPT consists of 18 volunteers and helps with such events as Child ID stations, the July 3rd Celebration, National Night Out, traffic control with annual parades, and other events as needed. In 2019, the CAPT team donated 604 hours of their time to the Town of Garner. If you are interested in becoming part of CAPT, please contact Sgt. Michael Medlin ([email protected]). ACHIEVEMENT CAMP The Achievement Academy was originally developed by our School Resource Officer (SRO) and DARE officer in 1994 and was called “Challenge Camp” at the time. The program is aimed at students, both male and female, at our two middle schools. Students are selected by school counselors, school resource officers, and police officers who volunteer with the Garner Police Athletics/Activities League (PAAL), based on a combination of expressed interest, application process, and staff recommendations. Those invited to attend are selected because they have expressed a desire to challenge themselves to overcome mental and physical obstacles and to improve themselves, both individually and as a team with their group. The week-long Achievement Camp was held in July 2019. Students attended a ropes course at NC State’s 8 GARNER POLICE DEPARTMENT 2019 ANNUAL REPORT