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Community Policing
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West Jordan is Utah's fourth-largest city. It is a rapidly growing community, which spreads across 32.02 square miles and is home to more than 102,000 residents. The West Jordan Police Department (WJPD) has been employing community policing since November 1995 when we opened our first community office at the Smith's grocery store at 7061 S. Redwood Rd. At that time, one officer was assigned to the Smith's office and full-time community policing efforts. Today we have four community offices staffed by four full-time community-policing officers and one supervisor. In addition, WJPD converted its entire department to community policing, using the Problem-Oriented Policing model, to work proactively to prevent and manage criminal behavior among 15 areas in the city. Officers spend their time, when not responding to calls, patrolling their "beats" and getting to know the citizens and businesses on their beat. Officers on the beat are encouraged to seek creative solutions to local problems, permitting them to use their discretion in interactions with the community and increase their investment in negotiating long-term solutions. Officers build partnerships with the community and create programs to effectively combat persistent local crime problems.
Community members have been empowered by WJPD's integration into the neighborhoods. The commitment and proximity of the community offices have yielded a relationship that motivates residents to work in partnership with police to prevent and report criminal behavior. In partnership with the department, they have formed 110 active neighborhood watch programs. Crime is no longer considered a police problem. Rather, residents are taking responsibility and action in conjunction with police officers to improve their communities.
Coming each spring to a neighborhood near you ... Mobile Cops. To bring the police and community even closer together we will be bringing WJPD's mobile command post to various neighborhoods that are experiencing problem incidents. Officers also work in conjunction with the community in cleaning up the junk vehicles, trash, and weeds that empower criminals when left unchecked. The mobile command post will act as a substation for police in the area to use and also as a place for the public to come and meet the officers assigned to their neighborhoods.
Community policing has been the biggest paradigm shift in policing since American policing embraced the professional model of policing nearly a century ago. Community policing, in its ideal form, is not merely a means to address community concerns, but it is a philosophy that turns traditional policing upside down by empowering line officers and the community to work together to combat crime.
For more information on community policing in West Jordan, please send an e-mail with questions or comments to
richardb@wjordan.com.
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