The Advancing 21st Century Policing Community Report 2017 The Advancing 21st Century Policing Community Repo | Page 10

Advancing 21 st Century Policing: The Arlington Police Department Report to the Community
PILLAR 4: COMMUNITY POLICING & CRIME REDUCTION
The public safety philosophy of the Arlington Police Department is deeply
rooted in community policing. Law enforcement and the community work in
partnership to address crime and safety. The department’s geographical
policing model allows officers to invest in the areas where they work.
Police officers are in the community every day, protecting, serving and
earning the community’s trust.
PILLAR
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Examples of community policing and crime reduction:
Safety awareness and education
The Citizens Police Academy is a free community
education program offered to help residents increase
safety awareness. Training and education includes
classroom and interactive hands-on instruction on a
wide variety of topics. Participants learn about the
many aspects of policing, including criminal
investigations, defensive tactics and how the
department is trained to respond to issues involving
critical incidents and use of force. Arlington offers a
Hispanic Citizens Police Academy conducted in
Spanish and a High School Citizens Police Academy
for students. Graduates join alumni associations and
continue their support for local law enforcement as
police volunteers.
Crime reduction involves everyone
In this program, residents are empowered to actively
get involved in helping to reduce crime without
getting out of the car. Members are trained how to
watch for identify suspicious activity. The department
also maintains a fleet of energy-efficient vehicles for
its volunteers. The mission of the Citizens On Patrol
program is to help reduce crime through teamwork
and cooperation with the Arlington Police
Department. APD recently expanded this program
and has launched a Dog Walker Watch Program.
Training is currently under way.
Graduates of the Arlington Hispanic Citizen Police Academy.
APD offers a two-day Citizen Police Academy.
Partnerships with clergy leaders
Also known as ACAPP, the Arlington Clergy and
Police Partnership is a coalition of clergy leaders
from many faiths and denominations. Members offer
support to the community and the police department
during times of crisis. Their mission is to achieve a
safer community through prayer, community
involvement and the sharing of public safety
information within their places of worship.
Residents are trained to patrol their neighborhood.
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