NCJ Number
171194
Journal
Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine Volume: 21 Issue: 7 Dated: (July 1997) Pages: 44-46
Date Published
1997
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the Dallas Police Department's (Texas) community policing efforts in the areas of patrol operations, field operations/special units, the gang unit, narcotics enforcement, and the department's web site.
Abstract
During 1995 the department expanded its Interactive Community Policing (ICP) program to more than 70 officers divided among the city's six patrol stations. ICP is a grassroots effort by police, neighbors, churches, and businesses to address crime and other quality-of-life issues. The intention is to tailor services to meet the needs of individual neighborhoods by increasing the level of citizen input. Patrol operations are divided into six separate area stations, each responsible for areas that range in size from 14 to 92 square miles. With some variations, patrol officers work 8-hour days and do not rotate shifts; bicycle units are also deployed in patrol operations. Operating under the direction of the field operations section are several units that augment the uniformed patrol effort. Included in this group are the mounted, aviation, explosive ordinance, and K-9 units. The gang unit is composed of 1 lieutenant, 4 sergeants, and 34 detectives. Working primarily in plainclothes and driving unmarked units, the officers focus on intelligence collection and directed enforcement against gang activities. Gang officers work proactively, providing information programs in cooperation with the community. Under a recent innovative narcotics enforcement plan, narcotic street squad officers target locations and serve search warrants that facilitate the arrest of dealers; undercover officers then impersonate the dealers to arrest customers when they attempt to buy drugs. The Dallas Police Department's web site covers areas as detailed as the department's budget and staffing, information on community programs, recruiting specifics, and means of registering a complaint or commendation while online.