Community Oriented Policing
Community Oriented Policing (COPS) is a philosophy that police officers and private citizens can work together in creative ways to help solve community problems related to crime, fear of crime, social and physical disorder and neighborhood decay.
This philosophy is predicated on the belief that as police departments develop a new relationships with the law abiding people in the community, they allow them a greater voice in setting local priorities and involve them in efforts to improve the overall quality of life in their neighborhoods. COPS Leadership Committee helps our local police department to shift the focus of police work from handling random calls to crime solutions.
Goals and Objectives of COPS:
- Identify and perform crime prevention projects which are outside the scope of the Police Department.
- Assist the Police Department in identifying the policing priorities of the community and suggest a plan of action to address those priorities.
- Represent the community in providing immediate feedback to proposed changes in the delivery of police service.
- Provide a forum to coordinate the planning and implementation of the COPS philosophy.
- The Edmond Police Department openly encourages citizen input in identifying policing concerns.
- The Edmond Police Department is working to become more pro-active and less re-active.
- Officers are assigned to permanent patrol districts to encourage a long term relationship with the citizens they serve.
- Officers duties have shifted from simply answering calls for service to solving citizens’ problems.
- Officers are authorized to pursue investigations where appropriate on their level.
- Officers are empowered to make many more decisions affecting their district on their own level.
- Officers are evaluated by the quality of their work.
