COMMUNITY POLICING OVERVIEW
The San Antonio Police Department
has embraced Community Policing for many decades, through
its Community Services and School Services Programs,
Crime Prevention Programs (Neighborhood Watch, National
Night Out), Store Fronts, Decentralized Patrol Substations,
and the Downtown Foot and Bicycle Patrol Unit. In 1995 the
Department created a special Community Policing Unit, the
San Antonio Fear Free Environment Unit,
SAFFE which links closely with
community involvement programs, such as
Cellular on Patrol
(initiated in 1993) and the
Citizen Police Academy (initiated 1994).
What Is Community Policing?
Community Policing is a collaborative effort between a police department and community that identifies problems of crime and disorder and involves all elements of the community in the search for solutions to these problems. It is founded on close, mutually beneficial ties between police and community members. At the center of community policing are three essential and complementary core components:
- Partnerships between the police and the community.
- Problem Solving as a method to identify and solve problems of concern to the community.
- Change Management within the police organization to accommodate increased community
involvement.
Community Policing is a
PHILOSOPHY for doing police work; PROBLEM
SOLVING (P.O.P.) is the tactic or strategy used to solve community
problems of crime and decay; and PARTNERSHIPS are the
tool or means with which the problem solving takes place.
What Is P.O.P.?
P.O.P., or Problem-Oriented Policing
is the tactic used to produce long-term solutions to
problems of crime or decay in communities. Police, residents,
and other agencies or organizations work together to identify
and find the causes for neighborhood crime problems, then
develop responses to the problems based on the problems'
causes. Responses are NOT cookie-cutter, one-response-fits-all.
Responses are not 100% police responses. In most cases, the
responses developed through P.O.P. are joint police-community
actions, which also involve participation by agencies such
as parks, code enforcement, youth services, solid waste, and
others.
P.O.P. in San Antonio and in most police departments
throughout the U.S., Canada and the U.K. uses
the S.A.R.A. (or SARAM) method for problem solving:
- S = Scanning : Identify and describe the PROBLEM.
- A = Analyze : How much of a problem is it? When is it a
problem? Who is affected? What are the problem's causes?
- R = Response : Based on the two steps above, devise an
appropriate response to the problem. There may be several
responses. Responses may be done over a long period of time.
- A = Assess : Evaluate the results of the responses. If
the results are not satisfactory, re-analyze the problem,
or try another response.
- M = Maintanence : Problem solving is only successful if
it produces a long-term solution. A POP response may have
short-term positive results, but can these results be maintained
over a longer term (6-month? 1-2 years?) without constant
intervention by police, residents and/or other agencies?
In other words, "Has the Problem been Solved?"
P.O.P. is being used by police and residents
to produce long-term solutions to
persistent crime problems in communities throughout San
Antonio, resulting in reductions not only in crime rates,
but also in the fear of crime.
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San Antonio Fear Free Environment
Community Policing Unit
The central core of SAPD's Community Policing activities is the
SAFFE (San Antonio Fear Free Environment) Unit. First established in
1994-95 with 60 officers and supervisors, then enlarged in 1996 with
an additional 40 officers, the SAFFE Unit consists of officers who focus
on identifying, evaluating and resolving community crime problems with
the cooperation and participation of community residents.
SAFFE officers are assigned to specific areas or neighborhoods
within the city, and work closely with both residents and the district
patrol officers also assigned to those areas.
SAFFE officers establish and maintain day-to-day
interaction with residents
and businesses within their assigned beats, in order to prevent crimes
before they happen. SAFFE officers also act as liaisons with other
city agencies, work closely with schools and youth programs, coordinate
graffiti-removal activities, and serve as resources to residents who
wish to take back their neighborhoods from crime and decay.
Substation
and SAFFE Web Pages
SUBSTATION WEB PAGES: Each of the six SAPD Substations now has its own
page on this web site. These pages contain useful information
for residents, including names and contact numbers for
the substation command staff, service area crime data,
calendars of substation activities and events, and a
map showing substation location.
COMMUNITY WEB PAGES: In addition, several
SAFFE units have produced special "Community Web Pages"
containing special information of interest to residents,
including crime alerts, crime prevention tips, and
information on special SAFFE activities.
Contacting SAFFE Officers
SAFFE officers are assigned to each of the six Service Areas
Substations) and can be contacted at the numbers listed
below.
CENTRAL SAFFE:
207-7413 |
EAST SAFFE:
207-7566 |
NORTH SAFFE:
207-8350 |
PRUE SAFFE:
207-7169 |
WEST SAFFE:
207-7421 |
SOUTH SAFFE:
207-8964 |
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Additional
Community Policing Activities & Programs
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