NCJ Number
168857
Journal
Campus Law Enforcement Journal Volume: 26 Issue: 3 Dated: May/June 1996 Pages: 21-23
Date Published
1996
Length
3 pages
Annotation
In August 1995, the administration of Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) created a formal program of community policing and embarked on an initiative to allay community fears.
Abstract
First, a mountain bike unit was created to supplement patrol and make officers more accessible to the public without compromising response time. Second, an officer was reassigned from regular patrol to a newly created position as community relations officer. The purpose was to have a uniformed officer, free from patrol responsibilities, who could focus full-time attention on organizing community relations efforts for the department. Next, all officers were permanently assigned to one of the three patrol districts on campus. The most radical change the department initiated in its efforts to embrace community policing was the assignment of a patrol officer to a full-time position as community relations officer. The first goal of the community relations officer was to establish open lines of communication between the police department and the community. Overall, the community-oriented policing program has brought officers closer to the public served. This expanded role has helped police address problems often left unreported in the past. The police hope this is leading to a reduction in fear of crime on the part of students, faculty, and staff.