This pillar focuses on the importance of community policing as a guiding philosophy for all stakeholders. Community policing emphasizes working with neighborhood residents to co-produce public safety. Law enforcement agencies should, therefore, work with community residents to identify problems and collaborate on implementing solutions that produce meaningful results for the community. Specifically, law enforcement agencies should develop and adopt policies and strategies that reinforce the importance of community engagement in managing public safety. Law enforcement agencies should also engage in multidisciplinary, community-team approaches for planning, implementing, and responding to crisis situations with complex causal factors.
Examples of the ways the police department demonstrates best practices in community policing and crime reduction:
- Officers are encouraged to visit with the public during their shifts by stopping at schools, daycares, businesses, neighborhoods, and parks to get to know the community.
- A community engagement program at the police department that coordinates with the town and presents various events and informational seminars.
- The department partners with other law enforcement agencies to prepare regional response strategies, solve crimes, and deliver community outreach programs.
- Social media and other public awareness platforms are used to provide awareness and prevention tips on current crime trends and general safety.
- Exclusive to our department, a dedicated clinician is on hand to assist with diverse mental health-related calls. Additionally, the department has partnered with neighboring towns to form the Behavioral Health Unit, a collaborative initiative offering resources for mental health and substance use disorders.
- The Chelmsford Police Athletic League provides a bond between officers and youth in the community through sports and various other yearly activities, including the Youth Police Academy, which is offered each summer.