21st Century Policing

“Implementing new technologies can give police departments an opportunity to fully engage and educate communities in a dialogue about their expectations for transparency, accountability and privacy.”

The aforementioned quote comes directly from the 21st Century Policing Report and summarizes what Pillar Three addresses. Technology and social media are both very general terms; however, this discussion identifies several specific areas where law enforcement agencies can improve community relations.

• An online crime mapping tool allows citizens to view police calls for service by date and general location.
• We are better utilizing social media to connect with residents and make public safety information more readily available.
• We are optimizing the use of available technology (e.g., in-car video cameras, body-worn cameras and electronic citations, accident reports and FOIA requests) to enhance accuracy, accountability and timeliness of data availability.
• A real time command center was created within the Police Department to expand and enhance the use of technology in data-driven deployment of police officers and the management of special events, critical incidents and crash scenes, among other major events.
• We are in 100% compliance with providing information requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
• A part-time position dealing with social media, community engagement and media relations was added to staff in 2015 to assist the department’s Public Information Officer with the department's transparency and community outreach efforts.
• Our crime analysis unit utilizes technology and data to help identify patterns and trends that can be used to strategically direct law enforcement actions to address concerns.