At the invitation of the Michigan Regional Community Policing Institute, Chief Robert Gallaway, Apache Junction, Arizona, addressed Michigan Chiefs of Police during their annual conference in Grand Rapids this past February.  Chief Gallaway, spoke of his work, while Chief in Brighton, Colorado, on changing the delivery of police services to a customer-based approach.
 His presentation stressed the importance of running a police department with the same concept as a private business.  Precepts such as; “We are here to serve you” and “The customer is always right,” were key concepts to that change effort.  As the department started looking at the skills needed for a customer based approach to police services, it became readily apparent that the “wrong” people were being hired.

The focus of recruitment and selection of officers shifted to attract individuals with strong interpersonal skills.  A questionnaire was developed to screen for the desired personality type.  This was administered prior to any department testing, and only the desired personality types moved on to the next step of the selection process.
 Training in the new philosophy was from two approaches.  New officers were ingrained with the values of a customer-based approach during academy instruction.  In-service training for the officers already out of the academy started at the top and included every level within the department.  Chief Gallaway admitted change for an entire department is difficult and time consuming, but something that has to be done to truly bring about a change in philosophy.

Chief Gallaway provided a list of essentials for changing to a customer-based approach:

Back to the Future

• Average citizens are involved with the police department as partners in the policing process.  This requires law enforcement to open up its organization to “outsiders” and decentralize its organization.
• Officers operate as generalists who are responsible for their “beat” and experiment with problem-solving techniques.  This requires empowerment of officers, risk-taking for management and time to perform.
• Quantitative service measures are not as important as qualitative measures, requiring a new methodology and a departure from tradition.
• The average citizen becomes a check on officer behavior, requiring openness in the organization, mutual trust and citizen surveys.
• Citizens help identify problems and help establish the police agenda, again requiring openness in the police organization, listening to citizen concerns and risk-taking at the executive levels.
• Citizens are involved in short-term and long-term proactive efforts, which require commitment on the citizen’s part.
• The Department must work toward a public perception that police officers are real and offer personalized caring service to the community.  This requires risk-taking on the officer’s part, training in the short-term and a new organizational culture in the long-term.
• Motto of Police Department is not “To Serve and Protect” but “We are Here to Serve You.”

A joint project of the Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice, School of Labor and Industrial Relations, Urban Affairs Program and the Department of Psychology in partnership with: • Michigan Association of    Chiefs of Police • Michigan Commission on  Law Enforcement Standards • Michigan Sheriffs Association • Michigan State Police • Neighborhood Associations of Michigan And the following police agencies and their partner communities: • Bay City Police Department • East Lansing Police Department • Gerrish Township Police    Department • Grand Haven Police Department • Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians • Grand Traverse County Sheriffs Department • Jackson Police Department • Kalamazoo Township Police    Department • Kalkaska County Sheriffs    Department • Kalkaska Police Department • Kentwood Police Department • Lansing Police Department • Leelanau County Sheriffs    Department • Marquette County Sheriffs    Department • Meridian Township Police    Department • Monroe County Sheriffs    Department • Monroe Police Department • Mt. Pleasant Police Department • Muskegon Police Department • Novi Police Department • Saginaw-Chippewa Indian Tribal Police • St. Johns Police Department • Traverse City Police Department • Warren Police Department • Washtenaw County Sheriffs    Department • Ypsilanti Police Department

Neighborhood Associations of Michigan Neighborhood Associations of Michigan (NAM) is the community partner for the Michigan Regional Community Policing Institute.  Its mission is to educate, empower, and advocate for community members to improve the quality of life in their communities.  This past year, with funding from the RCPI, NAM has conducted a series of focus group sessions among community members. Together they identified the issues and problems that neighborhood leaders face and what assistance neighborhood leaders need to help them address current and future challenges in their communities. When asked what types of knowledge and skills should be included in any training/development program, the focus group participants identified communication, networking and trust-building, working in a diverse community and organizing neighborhoods.  They also identified a need to learn how to identify, access, acquire, develop and use resources. The information from the focus group sessions will be used to develop curriculum(s) for training workshops targeted at neighborhood leaders.  Assisting NAM with advisory leadership in this project is a workgroup comprised of representatives from various non-profit organizations, business and community. Facilitator Training Coming to Michigan The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), with funding from the COPS office, has developed a 5-day Community Policing Train-the-Trainer workshop.  Michigan is fortunate enough to be one of the sites where the training will be delivered.  July 24-28, 2000, the FLETC training team will be in Michigan (location yet to be determined) to train a maximum of 24 individuals as facilitators.  First preference for the 24 available training slots will go to Michigan’s basic recruit academy instructors.  This training program follows a model developed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police whereby the traditional lecture format for training/imparting knowledge and skills, is replaced with a more interactive delivery of information that emphasizes and reinforces adult learning styles.  Anyone interested in participating in the training program, or who would like more information, please contact Audrey Martini at (517) 355-9648 or email her at martini@msu.edu.     SUBMISSIONS: All articles and photographs will be considered for publication.  Community Policing Partnerships seeks articles on successful community policing stories, community partnerships, problem-solving strategies and other topics that are helpful to communities and law enforcement agencies.  Please send articles and photographs (black and white glossy preferred) to:  Michigan Regional Community Policing Institute, Community Policing Partnerships. Attn: Christina Wilkerson, 1407 S. Harrison Road,  321 Nisbet Building,  East Lansing, MI  48823,  or  e-mail – christina.wilkerson@ssc.msu.edu.

Grand Traverse Band Tribal Police Department
Citizens’ Police Academy
The Grand Traverse Band Tribal Police Department Citizen’s Police Academy was created to help residents of the Grand Traverse Band Community better understand the mission, values, and operations of its police department.  Participants of the ten-week academy experience first hand the day-to-day operations of the department it serves, the community and its residents.

Instructional formats include classroom lecture, open discussion, multi-media presentations, demonstrations, hands-on practical exercises, and at least two ride alongs for an entire shift.

The last night of the academy, participants are awarded Certificates of Attendance in a formal ceremony.

Troubled youth in our society seems to be increasing.  A most recent shooting by a six year old student of a classmate in the Flint area made most people gasp at the thought that a child of only six years had access to a weapon, and then took it to school, killing a classmate.  Classroom violence seems to be increasing, and has also received national attention with the shooting incident in Columbine, Colorado.  Two troubled youth, who did not seem to fit in with the general student population, decided to go on a rampage and killed numerous classmates at their school, minutes later taking their own lives.  Many students later indicated they knew these students had spoken of violence, and further indicated this type of behavior was predictable.

While many people believe these types of incidents could not occur in their own backyard, one is foolish to believe shooting incidents in schools only happen to “others.”  For years the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office has presented various school safety programs, to include, D.A.R.E., “Vince and Larry,” alcohol related programs, and a variety of traffic safety programs.  While deputies did have some presence in our schools, we also recognized our schools were vulnerable to acts of violence.

In an effort to have a greater presence, and to make our schools safer, Sheriff Gene L. Wriggelsworth discussed with staff members a program that could have a positive impact on our youth in the schools within our jurisdiction.  We have since implemented this program and have named it “Cops in Schools”.  Even today we are continually developing and modifying the program goals and objectives.

To establish this program, we decided it was important each school in the jurisdiction we serve have a minimum of one Ingham County Sheriff Deputy assigned to the school.  While we recognize the deputy could not spend his/her entire shift at the school, we felt that any time spent in the school would have a positive impact.  We believed if a deputy was assigned to a specific school, through “ownership,” deputies would take a greater interest in the school activities.  We also believed assigning a deputy to a school would allow the school to take “ownership” in the deputy.  Hopefully, the students and staff would become familiar with the deputy, and the relationship would be similar to those in community policing concepts.

We began promoting the program by sending letters to the school superintendents and principals, announcing the program and requesting the school contact the Sheriff’s Office if they were interested.  Immediately we received a positive response from the schools, expressing their desire to participate in the program.  We followed this up with a request that the schools provide each deputy with office space and minimal supplies (desk, phone, and a place for students and staff to leave messages).  The response from the schools was very satisfying, with nearly every school participating.  Deputies were then assigned to their school, from both the day shift and the night shift (Ingham County Sheriff’s Office operates on two 12 hour shifts, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.).  Some deputies even requested assignment to a particular school.  The deputies were then instructed to contact the schools to introduce themselves.  This was also accomplished by command officers going with various deputies to the schools and providing an introduction to the “Cops in Schools” program.

The deputies then began acting not only as a liaison to the school, but also as a conduit for providing information to the school about the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office and the various topics of safety awareness.  Deputies were further advised to spend as much time as they could in the schools, interacting with students and staff, in an effort to create a bond between the deputy and the school community.  We felt it was important that night shift deputies be involved in this program, and while at first it seemed as though this might not be necessary, we then began to realize many activities occur at schools in the evening, and recognized the benefit of the night shift deputies as an integral part of the program.

Deputies in the school community are quickly taking charge of the “Cops in Schools” program.  We see many deputies developing safety programs and providing valuable information to our schools.  Recently, with the death of the six year old student in a Flint area school, a “handgun awareness program” has quickly become the focus of the requests we receive from the schools.  We believe it is important deputies are allowed the freedom to create their own awareness programs, and equally important that administration provide the deputies with material support to assist in the success of the presentations.  We believe the contact between the deputies and the school community will have a tremendously positive impact on the relationship between the Sheriff’s Office and the schools.  While this may not be easy to measure, we are experiencing more deputies involved in school presentations, and a true awareness of the value of the “Cops in Schools” program.  We are now seeing deputies become a fixture in our schools, and instead of a surprised look on the faces of students and staff, it is a welcome look, knowing the school campus is a safer place to learn and work, with the presence of an Ingham County Sheriff Deputy.
 
 

With funding assistance from the Regional Community Policing Institute, the Safe Schools Initiative workgroup is comprised of representatives from 40 local, state, and national  agencies and organizations. It was established a year ago to be a coordinating and disseminating resource of best practices for local districts (police, school and community) and to provide an organized voice for sustaining local effort to make Michigan’s schools safe learning environments for our youth.  The group meets every other month to discuss current issues relating to safe schools in Michigan.  Issues are raised and discussed, information is shared, and networks are expanded.  Several initiatives have come from the group; one is of particular importance at the local level. Local level “summits” are being conducted throughout the state to assist schools, local planners and responders with the improvement of school site safety plans. Whether the cause of a critical incident at a school is an act of nature, a fire or a deliberate human act, planned response procedures must be in place. It is vitally important that all emergency responders have participated in the development of these procedures and thoroughly understand them to assure maximum safety to all threatened parties.  The first summit was held in Montcalm County March 15th.  Thirty-one representatives from police, fire, community, schools, and health agencies participated.     Summits for the Next Three Months Person to contact if you would like to participate are as follows: ¨ Allegan & Van Buren County, April 20th, Contact Al Svilpe, (616)657-7786 ¨ Midland County, April 27th, Contact Roger Garner, (517)832-6750 ¨ Montmorency County, May 3rd,  Contact David Utt, (231)785-4141 ¨ Isabella County, May 4th, Contact Captain William Burns,  (517)772-5911 ¨ Wayne County, May 10th & May 11th, Contact Glen Hendricks,   (313)596-2991 ¨ Osceola County, May 12th, Contact Lt. Dallas Jenks, (231)832-6172 ¨ Kent County, May 16th, Contact Sue Barthels,  (616)336-3019 ¨ Ottawa County, June 20th, Contact Bill Smith, (616)738-4050 ¨ Mason, Lake and Oceana County, June 21st, Contact Rich Davis,   (231)845-5911 Neighborhood Leadership Academy Graduates 14 On Saturday, April 29, 2000, fourteen neighborhood leaders will graduate from a 20-hour academy program that started a month earlier.  Each participant was required to complete four hours of pre-academy work, attend a week-end workshop, and then complete a four-hour post-workshop project.   The workshop was held Friday evening, March 17th and all day Saturday, March 18th at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station Conference Center in Hickory Corners.  Topics covered included basic organizing skills, issue development and newsletter skills, problem solving skills, basic fundraising and mini-grant writing, and learning to develop neighborhood plans.  By successfully completing the 20-hour course, participants are eligible to compete in the RCPI mini-grant program which has funds available to award up to $1,000 to five communities. Participants in the program include: Teri Barker, Neighborhoods Inc. of Battle Creek, Battle Creek Jackie Braman Community Builders, Battle Creek Cynthia Craig, Red Cedar Community Association, East Lansing Susan Dougherty, Moores Park Neighborhood Organization,   Lansing Connie Doyle, Fabulous Acres, Lansing Amy D. Hunnicutt, Kids Creek Neighborhood, Traverse City Linda S. Kreft, Slabtown Neighborhood Association, Traverse City Kimberly Lawrence, Community Builders, Battle Creek Leela Madhava Rau, Moores Park Neighborhood Organization, Lansing Judith Merchant, Oakwood Historic Neighborhood, East   Lansing Joyce Pleva, Cedar/Long Lake, Cedar Barbara Rishel, Old Towne Neighborhood, Traverse City Adrienne Rossi, Central Neighborhood Association, Traverse City Teresa Vincent, Community Builders, Battle Creek COPS in Schools Training Curriculum Under Development Audrey Martini recently traveled to Los Angeles to participate in a pilot COPS In Schools training program hosted by the Los Angeles Regional Community Policing Institute. Once comments from the pilot training have been evaluated and the curriculum fine-tuned, it is anticipated the three-day workshop will be replicated 25 times across the country via the various Regional Community Policing Institutes. Recipients of Federal COPS In Schools grants will be required to send the school administrator and the grant funded officer assigned to that school to one of these trainings. Michigan has approximately 61 COPS  In Schools grants. The Michigan RCPI has requested that at least one of the 25 training sites be in Michigan.   Meridian Township Officer Builds a Strong School Partnership By Ed Wright, Reprinted with permission of the Law Enforcement Journal It’s too early to tell how big of an impact the award-winning “Spartan Buddies” program will have on the long-term well-being of the hundreds of East Lansing elementary students who have participated in it the past four years, but the short-term success has been nothing short of fantastic. “Spartan Buddies,” a program similar to Big Brothers and Big Sisters that pairs volunteer-minded MSU students with East Lansing elementary school children, was the brainchild of Meridian Township Public Safety Officer Gaylord Mankowski, a nine-year veteran of the department. The idea of such a program came to Mankowski after one of his several visits to elementary schools as one of the township’s two K-9 officers. “Many of the kids at one of the schools we work with are from single-parent families, and from various social and economic backgrounds, so I thought it would be neat if we could provide them with a program that could bolster their self-esteem while providing strong role models,” Mankowski said.  “I took the idea to the principal of Wardcliffe Elementary School and she liked it a lot.  It’s a daily thing for me.  I try to stop in there as a part of my regular patrol duties to check up on the kids.  Or if a kid gets into trouble, they will page me and I’ll go in and see what I can do. “I also help arrange a different monthly activity for the kids and their Spartan Buddies.  It could be a movie, field trip or even a trip to one of the dorms for lunch or dinner.  I like to schedule events that give the kids an idea of what college life is like.  It gives them something to shoot for and to work toward.” “This has been an outstanding program for our school,” stressed Wardcliffe Elementary School Principal Kathy Branch.  “The kids get very excited about getting together with their buddies; it gives them something to look forward to.  And, along with having a lot of fun, it is a learning experience for them.  I would recommend it to other schools who are thinking about starting a similar program.” Finding MSU students to volunteer for the program has been an easy job, Mankowski said.  “The MSU students love helping out,” he said.  “In fact, we’re running out of elementary school kids to match with all the college students who want to volunteer their time. “Nowadays, college kids get a bad rap because of the things people read in the paper.  But the vast majority of them are great kids.  This program proves it.” While the MSU students do not receive college credits for their efforts, the volunteering experience looks great on a resume, Mankowski said. “A lot of the college students who participate are Criminal Justice and Education majors, so the experience they get for their future careers is excellent,” Mankowski said.  “But more importantly, I think they get a great deal of self-satisfaction out of this program.  It makes them feel good about themselves.  I know I get a lot of satisfaction out of it.”  Mankowski was recognized for his beyond-the-call-of-duty efforts in May of last year when he accepted a distinguished volunteer award from Gov. John Engler at an awards ceremony held at the governor’s residence.   COPS Meeting Held In DC This past February Merry Morash, Director of the Michigan RCPI, and Audrey Martini, Outreach Director, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, attended the annual RCPI Directors meeting in Washington D.C.   One day of the meeting was set aside for RCPI Directors to visit their state Representatives and Senators.  The COPS office has sub-contracted with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia to write a Training To Reduce Domestic Violence curriculum to be delivered by each of the Regional Community Policing Institutes.  Michigan will deliver 16 of the workshops over the next 12 months.  There are also hopes that if COPS is reauthorized and refunded beyond September 30th of this year, that there will be substantial funding in the Safe Schools and the Police Ethics areas. Merry and Audrey visited with staff in the offices of Representatives Fred Upton, Joe Knollenberg, Debbie Stabenow and Carolyn Kilpatrick.  They also visited staff of Senator Carl Levin.  Most knew little about the training and technical assistance provided through the RCPI and all were receptive to learning more about what has been done in the Michigan Institute.        SUBMISSIONS: All articles and photographs will be considered for publication. Community Policing Partnerships seeks articles on successful community policing stories, community partnerships, problem-solving strategies and other topics that are helpful to communities and law enforcement agencies. Please send articles and photographs (black and white glossy preferred) to:  Michigan Regional Community Policing Institute,  Community Policing Partnerships,  Attn: Christina Wilkerson,  1407 S. Harrison Road,  336 Nisbet Building,  East Lansing, MI 48823  or e-mail – christina.wilkerson@ssc.msu.edu.   Upcoming Training – Open Sessions May 3-4 – Supervison and Community Policing, East Lansing 10 – Valuing Cultural Diversity, Ann Arbor 11-12 – Problem Solving, East Lansing 17 – Valuing Cultural Diversity, Marquette 19 – Problem Solving, Novi 24 – Valuing Cultural Diversity, Marquette 25 – Problem Solving, Novi June 6 – Valuing Cultural Diversity, Lansing 14-15 – Community Policing Initiatives, East Lansing 20 – Valuing Cultural Diversity, Saginaw 22 – Crime and Data Analysis, East Lansing For more information call 1-800-892-9051 or visit our website at: www.cj.msu.edu/~outreach/rcpi

Community Policing Partnerships Newsletter is supported by Cooperative Agreement 97-ck-wx-0010 awarded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions contained within this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.