Santa Cruz Police and the Future of Community Policing

Community-Oriented Policing requires constant adaptation to new needs and changing situations. The Santa Cruz Police Department (SCPD) has embraced innovation since it adopted a community policing philosophy in the early 1990s. Just as then, today’s efforts are about building personal relationships, being proactive in addressing community concerns and working with partners to innovate new approaches to police work.

 
SCPD Police Chief Kevin Vogel

In this spirit, the department is poised to launch three new or expanded initiatives focused on creating transparency and implementing solutions that produce meaningful results in the community.
The first initiative provides for all Santa Cruz police officers working in the field to be equipped with body cameras starting in 2017.

“Body cameras certainly increase the accountability and the transparency of the police department,” Police Chief Kevin Vogel said. “I think that’s the No. 1 benefit.”

The footage also will provide better evidence documentation, record use of force incidents and encourage good behavior for both police officers who wear them and community members who encounter them.

The department proposed body cameras during the 2016/17 budget planning process, but financial considerations led the city to delay implementation of body cameras. Data storage alone is estimated to cost $100,000 a year.

“This is a pretty costly expenditure for the city,” Vogel said. “One of the things I want to make sure of is we’re very careful and deliberate in the selection of body cameras.”

In addition to choosing the right equipment, developing policies around data retention and storage, when and how to release footage, and how to preserve privacy all will need to be considered as body cameras are implemented. The timeline for rolling out body cameras for officers will be discussed at the Tuesday, Dec. 13, Santa Cruz City Council meeting.

The second initiative begins this month: police officers will carry Naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal drug. The one-year trial phase of the Overdose Prevention Program, funded through a Santa Cruz County-administered grant, will involve 12 SCPD patrol officers who have volunteered to participate.

“The logic behind law enforcement starting to carry it is on these types of calls we’re the first ones to show up,” SCPD Lt. Warren Barry, who is overseeing the program, said. “Minutes and seconds count when it comes to an overdose death.”

SCPD will be the first law enforcement agency in the county to carry a “rescue” drug. The Naloxone is administered through a nasal mist, which is easier to apply and doesn’t require officers to carry needles. Each participating officer will be issued a kit with two Naloxone doses.

“We are dedicated to helping people,” Barry said. “This is a problem where we can’t arrest our way out of it, so we’re treating it like a disease. This is a compassionate response to a nationwide problem.”

To encourage people to call 911 to seek medical attention for an overdose, California adopted a Good Samaritan law, providing immunity from violations and low-level offenses when a person is either experiencing or observing an opioid-related overdose. People who receive the rescue drug or those with them at the time will be given an outreach card with information about addiction services.

“The hope is they will get help and not use again,” Barry said. “Public safety isn’t just arresting people.”

The third Community-Oriented Policing expanded initiative is the expansion of the Maintaining Ongoing Stability through Treatment Team (MOST) program. The MOST liaison assists with calls involving potential mental health issues and provides mental health intervention and assessment services. Originally a 40-hour-a-week position staffed by one person, the role will grow to include a second half-time liaison working weekends.

“The MOST program increases our outreach when it comes to mental health and addiction,” SCPD Deputy Chief Rick Martinez said. “It’s ensures we have that referral system out in the field seven days a week.”

Community-Oriented Policing requires constant flexibility to respond to all emerging issues with proactive problem-solving approaches that involve the community as well as police officers.

“We have an ongoing commitment to reevaluate our policies and programs, and introduce new initiatives as needed,” Martinez said. “We know Santa Cruz is a special place with unique needs, and we want to be responsive to our community.”

Click the articles titles below to read the series about SCPD’s longstanding commitment to Community-Oriented Policing.
1st Highlights Community-Oriented Policing Tradition
2nd Community-Oriented Policing Provides Transparency, Accountability
3rd Community-Based Partnerships Reduce Crime
4th SCPD Youth Programs Help Community Policing Efforts Reach Kids
5th SCPD Use of Technology Supports Community Policing Policies
6th Santa Cruz Police and the Future of Community Policing

SCPD's Pioneering Use of Technology Supports Community Policing Policies - 5th Article in Series

The fifth article in the series about Santa Cruz Police Department’s longstanding commitment to Community-Oriented Policing.

Decades ago, the Santa Cruz Police Department equipped patrol cars with dashboard cameras and installed VCRs in the trunks to record officer interactions during calls. While it sounds archaic now, at the time, this was cutting-edge technology.

SCPD 1st law enforcement agency in the US to develop its own community engagement mobile app. https://youtu.be/UICUX6WHWwA

Fast forward 20 years and SCPD remains a leader in adopting new technology, in large part because use of technology and social media is a key element of the department’s Community-Oriented Policing.

Implementing new technologies gives SCPD the opportunity to engage with residents about their expectations for transparency, accountability and privacy. It also builds community trust and offers police officers additional communication channels to educate residents.

“We’ve made a lot of different technological advances over the years, starting with our mobile app, social media and predictive policing,” SCPD Chief Kevin Vogel said. “Anytime you can find a better way to engage it puts you at an advantage with serving your community.”

SCPD was the first law enforcement agency in the United States to develop its own branded community engagement mobile app. Launched in March 2011, the app provides access to the police department’s live scanner feed, interactive online crime maps, videos, photos, social media and the police department’s blog.

“Really, their goal was ‘How can we take all of our services and make them available in the way our community wants to access them?’” said Jamieson Johnson, a UC Santa Cruz graduate and Vice President of Business Development at MobilePD, the app developer.

“What the application does is centralizes a lot of different important services for the community to access.” VIDEO message from the app developer, Jamieson Johnson, a UC Santa Cruz graduate and Vice President of Business Development at MobilePD. 

Since SCPD launched its app, hundreds of law enforcement agencies have created their own mobile platforms. “But at that time it was unheard of and they were the first ones to do it,” Johnson said.

The department also was the first law enforcement agency in the county to utilize Nixle, an open communication forum that connects the police department with businesses and residents through text, email, a mobile app and more.

SCPD was an early adopter of social media, engaging with residents through multiple platforms to increase community awareness and access to department activities. The department’s current social media platforms include:
· Facebook – used to distribute press releases, request the public’s help in solving a case and share other items of community interest.
· Twitter – used for real-time updates during urgent situations and to share day-to-day activity with the public. Earlier this year, SCPD tweeted a “virtual ride-along” during a Friday shift to exhibit the scope and pace of a regular workday.
· Instagram and Pinterest – used to connect crime victims with their missing property. SCPD posts photos of lost, found and recovered property; proof of ownership is required to claim items.
· YouTube – used to share messages about safety with the public and help identify suspects in open cases where video surveillance is available.

SCPD also posts police logs online and shares updates about cases via its blog. Residents appreciate the access to information.

 
“The Santa Cruz Police Blog has been awesome,” said Deb Elston, co-founder of the community networking organization Santa Cruz Neighbors.

 “People love the blog, especially because neighbors do want to help find the bad guys.”

When crimes occur, SCPD’s online crime reporting portal allows residents to report minor incidents, like car break-ins, online. This saves officer time for more serious incidents and also gives a crime victim the option to file the report when he or she has time to do it and from the comfort of their own home. The SCPD website also accepts public comments and acclamations about officers. 

A recent — and well-received — addition to SCPD’s wide range of tech advances has been the development of the online bike registry. This program encourages cyclists to register their bicycles online and tags each registered bike with a blue and white California bike license.

The registry, the first in the county, is free and never expires.

Since the online bike registry program began in July 2016, more than 1,200 bicycles have been licensed through SCPD. Many are registered when they are sold at local bike shops, all of which have partnered with the police department to grow the program.“It’s going great,” said Linda Robinson, a SCPD records technician who leads the program. “It’s nice to see the enthusiasm.”

Linda with Bike Shop Owner Demonstrating Online Bike Registration

The hope is the license deters bike thieves. But in creating a record of the bike, which includes the serial number, a registered bike that is stolen and recovered by law enforcement can be returned to its owner.

“Bike theft is just rampant. It’s not just here; it’s all over,” Robinson said. “We have hundreds of bikes out back and we don’t know who they belong to.”
Click the links below for the past articles in the series about Santa Cruz Police Department’s longstanding commitment to Community-Oriented Policing. 
1st Highlights Community-Oriented Policing Tradition
2nd Community-Oriented Policing Provides Transparency, Accountability
3rd Community-Based Partnerships Reduce Crime
4th SCPD Youth Programs Help Community Policing Efforts Reach Kids

SCPD Community-Oriented Policing Provides Transparency, Accountability - Part 2 of 5

The nation and the Santa Cruz community are going through a historic and needed process of examining the relationship between police officers and those they serve and protect. Events at both the national and local levels continue to drive the discussion.

SCPD aims to help move the discussion forward by re-emphasizing the benefits of community-oriented policing, a proven strategy that focuses on building trust and strengthening the relationship between police officers and community members.

Establishing a culture of transparency and accountability between peace officers and the community they serve is the guiding principle of community-oriented policing (COP). This helps ensure decision making is understood and follows policy.

“In the end, our overarching goal is communication and public trust,” said Deputy Police Chief Rick Martinez.

The annual Neighborhood Block Parties program is one of the most visible activities SCPD does as part of its community-oriented policing program. SCPD worked with Santa Cruz Neighbors to develop and launch the annual program. The event has grown to 48 organized neighborhood gatherings in 2016 promoting community safety, getting to know your neighbors and access to city staff including police officers, firefighters and city management.

SCPD programs extend well beyond Neighborhood Block Parties. For nearly two decades, SCPD has invited community members into the department for the Citizens Police Academy, an inside look at local law enforcement through lectures, demonstrations and discussion.

Dr. William Christie, a dentist in Santa Cruz, was in the first Academy class in 1998.  “It was enlightening,” Christie said. “It’s a nice introduction to law enforcement. It kind of takes down the mystery of law enforcement.”

The 11-week program, offered in both English or Spanish, covers patrol, traffic, police investigations, gang culture, narcotics, use of force and arrest tactics, the court system and more. Over 640 community members have graduated from the Academy since it began.

 

Fall 2016 Spanish Language CPA has 21 participants
Christie recalled community members who entered the program with a negative attitude toward law enforcement but who left with an understanding and respect of the complexities of the role. “That’s what it’s about, letting the public see there is not a blue curtain,” Christie said.

The academy also has helped officers. Christie recalled an early class where an officer described going “code 3 to a 211” for several minutes before a student interrupted to ask what the police jargon meant — driving fast with lights and sirens on to a report of a robbery. For future talks, officers did more to explain topics in laypeople terms. A community’s willingness to cooperate with law enforcement is born out of the level of trust, respect and support they have for their police.

“It pulls down barriers between the public and the police, and opens channels of communication,” Christie said. “It helps the public to know what resources are available to them.”

SCPD was the first law enforcement agency in Santa Cruz County to have civilian oversight, beginning with the Citizen Police Review Board (CPRB) in the early 1990s. That committee evolved into the Independent Police Auditor model of civilian oversight, handled by attorney Robert Aaronson.

Unlike the CPRB, Aaronson has full access to the department’s internal affairs (IA) investigations, including personnel files. His background in law enforcement — Aaronson has spent his entire professional career as a lawyer and currently is the Independent Police Auditor at two other Northern California police departments — also helps him understand the subject matter.  “I bring a level of experience and expertise,” he said. 

Aaronson audits the IA investigations monthly, spending two days reading files, listening to audio recordings and watching videos. He writes reports on all major IA investigations — about seven or eight annually — and makes recommendations. Aaronson’s suggestions range from how the investigations should be conducted to training issues that need to be addressed.

“My number one goal is to help Santa Cruz Police improve its service to the community,” Aaronson said. “What I do is help people be more effective in their roles”
Additional civilian oversight of SCPD occurs in two ways:
· the City Council appoints three members to the Public Safety Sub-Committee.
· the City’s Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women provides comments on police response, policy, procedures and investigation of crimes against women with an emphasis on domestic violence and sexual assault.

Citizens also are involved in promoting officers to supervisory and management positions at SCPD. Police officers who have put in for promotions give presentations to a panel of community members and answer questions posed by the panel. Panel members score each candidate and police commanders take the panel’s feedback into account when making promotions.

SCPD’s accountability manifests in other areas as well. The department issued its first annual report in 2015, and dozens of community members volunteer in various roles at SCPD.

David Salinas, a 21-year-old from Capitola, became an SCPD volunteer after participating in the Teen Public Safety Academy when he was a junior at Soquel High School.

“It really inspired me,” said Salinas, who has wanted to be a police officer as long as he can remember. 

Salinas became a mentor in the department’s PRIDE program, completed the Citizens Police Academy and, in January 2015, started volunteering in the records department at SCPD, taking records from police headquarters to the courthouse, city hall and District Attorney’s Office. The volunteer position led to a part time job — Professional Technical Assistant —that utilizes his bilingual skills.

The exposure to police work has helped Salinas as he navigates toward a career.

“Doing all that stuff really opened my eyes,” he said. “Being in these programs, you build connections with these officers. I didn’t understand the kind of stress they went through.”

Salinas is applying to universities, where he plans to study sociology before applying to become an SCPD officer. He’s also starting his third session as a PRIDE mentor this month.

“There are so many different perspectives of our criminal justice system,” Salinas said. “If you go on a ride-along or join the academy, you’ll get a better idea of what these officers are going through.”

The role of the police officer is to do more than just enforce the law and arrest those that break it. Building connections with residents and business owners is a key part of local law enforcement.

Ride-alongs are one of SCPD’s most utilized community programs. Citizens get real-time insight into how situations are handled and what police work looks like in Santa Cruz.

There were 154 ride-alongs in 2015. Through the end of October, there have been 174 ride-alongs this year.

“When people trust law enforcement and they participate in making their community safer, we’re more successful, we’re solving cases,” Martinez said. “We can’t do it alone.”

This is the 2nd segment of a five-part series that highlights SCPD’s Community-Oriented Policing Tradition. The 1st installment in the series is available here https://goo.gl/9OtxGG or on SCPD Blog https://goo.gl/jZerZx

For more information about SCPD’s community programs and to get involved, visit www.santacruzpolice.com.

ABOUT SCPD
The Santa Cruz Police Department (SCPD) is committed to working in partnership with the community to enhance public safety, prevent crime, enforce laws and protect the rights of all people through innovative problem-solving approaches. A progressive, professional organization, SCPD officers are dedicated to conducting themselves with the highest ethical standards and the department is accountable to the community. SCPD has 94 sworn officers and 29 civilian staff to protect and serve Santa Cruz’s 64,000 residents and millions of annual visitors. Learn more at www.santacruzpolice.com, http://santacruzpolice.blogspot.com, or via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterset.

Santa Cruz Police Department Highlights Community-Oriented Policing Tradition

Santa Cruz Police Department Highlights Community-Oriented Policing Tradition

The Santa Cruz Police Department today announced it will mark the 10th annual Officer Jim Howes Community Service Award presentation through an upcoming series of articles exploring the department’s longstanding commitment to Community-Oriented Policing.

The five-part series will delve into the strategies and practices Santa Cruz Police Department (SCPD) officers utilize to engage and collaborate with residents and business owners to reduce and prevent crime, build trust and create mutual respect.

“Community-Oriented

Policing helps us align the department’s values with those of Santa Cruz,” Deputy Police Chief Rick Martinez said. “Policing isn’t just about making arrests, it’s about partnering to find long-term solutions on issues affecting our city.”

SCPD has been on the forefront of Community-Oriented Policing since the department first enacted the philosophy more than 20 years ago under the direction of then-Police Chief Steve Belcher. Many of the progressive programs and policies SCPD has employed for decades also are recommended by the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing Report, which was finalized in 2015.

“We wanted to work with the community more. The department should be an open book,” said Belcher, who helped institute a proactive problem-solving response to neighborhood issues that emphasized community partnerships.
Up until that point, SCPD had been a traditional police department focused on response times and making arrests. But rising crime rates coupled with tensions locally — shootings, immigration raids, out-of-control beach parties — and around the country, including the 1992 L.A. riots, led Belcher and SCPD to reassess their policing model.

Community-Oriented Policing looks at the root cause of an issue. Rather than repeatedly deal with the same call for service, officers gave new attention to problem solving in order to prevent the issues from reoccurring.

“Officers became responsible not just for responding to calls, but for solving the problems the calls reported,” Belcher said. “It was an evolutionary process.”

Early Community-Oriented Policing initiatives in Santa Cruz included:
· Specifically assigned beats for officers so they could get to know neighborhoods and residents could become familiar with them.
· Launching the first Citizen Police Academy classes to offer transparency about how policing works in Santa Cruz.
· Installing dashcams in patrol cars to record police work.
· Establishing civilian oversight for enhanced accountability.
· Partnering with other agencies — such as the City Parks and Recreation Department, State Parks, the state department of Alcohol Beverage Control and more — to find creative solutions to problems.
· Starting Neighborhood Watch programs, led by the Community Policing Coordinator, who was Officer Jim Howes.

“We had to close that missing link,” Belcher said. “It sounds very simple but it was revolutionary and it paid dividends.”

Officer Jim Howes served as a Santa Cruz Police Officer for 26 years and was known throughout the City for his positive approach and partnership building between the City and community. The Officer Jim Howes Community Service Award was established in 2007 when he retired, and is given annually to one city employee and one community member for outstanding service to the community. Nominations are open through Thursday, Nov. 3.

SCPD’s progressive approach to Community-Oriented Policing has changed the culture of the police department over time, and many of the programs started under Chief Belcher continue today. The five-part series to be shared on the SCPD blog (http://santacruzpolice.blogspot.com/) and will explore the many Community-Oriented Policing programs developed and implemented by SCPD, such as:

· Youth initiatives to connect with kids and prevent crime, while building trust.

· Intervention programs that support community-based partnerships to reduce crime and address vulnerable populations.
· Policies that provide transparency, accountability and opportunities for community engagement.
· The use of technology, including social media, to build community interaction, trust and legitimacy.

The final installment of the series will discuss the department’s ongoing efforts to be responsive and relevant to the community it serves, including new and expanded programs that are in the works.

ABOUT SCPD
The Santa Cruz Police Department (SCPD) is committed to working in partnership with the community to enhance public safety, prevent crime, enforce laws and protect the rights of all people through innovative problem-solving approaches. A progressive, professional organization, SCPD officers are dedicated to conducting themselves with the highest ethical standards and the department is accountable to the community. SCPD has 94 sworn officers and 29 civilian staff to protect and serve Santa Cruz’s 64,000 residents and millions of annual visitors. Learn more at www.santacruzpolice.com, http://santacruzpolice.blogspot.com, or via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterset.

Santa Cruz Patch Highlights Community Policing and Problem Solving Efforts by SCPD

Click here to read this great article written by Santa Cruz Patch Editor Brad Kava about the innovative approaches being taken by Santa Cruz Police officers Forrest Crowell, Travis Ahlers and Steve Pendleton toward furthering the Santa Cruz Police Department's community policing and problem solving efforts.

What are Neighborhood Portfolio Exercises?

The Santa Cruz Police Department prides itself on focusing on community-oriented policing (COPS). In fact, the Department of Justice has awarded our agency funding based on our success in the COPS model. Within the last few years we've initiated a requirement for new officers (as part of their training program) to complete a community-based problem-solving project.

The Neighborhood Portfolio Exercise (NPE) is an important tool to culminate and gauge the effectiveness of our training program.  The role of the police department has evolved over the years requiring individuals who can engage critical thinking skills outside of traditional “law enforcement” solutions into a “problem solving” approach.  This skill and operational philosophy is taught and emphasized throughout the training program. 

By completing an NPE, trainees actually walk through the process of identifying core issues that lead to problematic behaviors in the community.  The trainee is then challenged to identify critical resources and partnerships that can work collaboratively to address the core issue.  In doing so, the police department forges strong relationships with the community and includes them in the problem solving for long term solutions.

Over the coming days we will be presenting recent NPEs that our new officers completed. All of these projects were the idea of the new officer - and they worked to complete them during the time of their training. We think you'll appreciate how these brand new officers are approaching issues. As always, if you have questions or suggestions you can drop me a line.