East Lansing police department 2009 goals
East Lansing Police Department
2009 Annual Report
Goals and Objectives
Introduction
The East Lansing Police Department’s mission is Quality Service, Protection, and Safety, with its vision being, “A Cut Above, and a Step Ahead”. We identified four goals that each member of the police department would direct their daily activities in a manner that would be consistent with the department’s mission, vision and values. Objectives were developed for each of the four goals and the objectives were specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time sensitive.
The four goals are:
Goal #1: Enhance a quality community through traffic, parking and code enforcement and safer neighborhoods
Goal #2: Establish effective partnerships with all Community stakeholders
Goal #3: Actively interact with our youth through schools, programs, and activities that engage our youth with the community
Goal #4: We will continuously direct our efforts toward
our vision of, “A Cut Above and a Step Ahead”
Enhance a quality community through traffic,
parking and code enforcement and safer neighborhoods
• The top ten intersections where the most traffic accidents have occurred were identified. The department increased enforcement at these intersections which resulted in a reduction of traffic accidents. The department policed 766 accidents in 2008 and 698 accidents in 2009, which is an 8.88% reduction.
• In an effort to reduce drunk driving and the harm it causes to members of the community, our officers arrested 456 drivers who were Operating vehicles While Intoxicated in 2009.
• The Parking and Code Enforcement division continues to be an integral part of the police department. Parking enforcement in the downtown areas and in the neighborhoods assists with maintaining an orderly flow of traffic and improves the quality of the community and its residents.
• The Parking and Code Enforcement division had a reduction in Party Litter Violations from the previous year. It is our hope that through education, responsible residents, and enforcement, that these violations will continue to decrease in future years. Having lower numbers each year will only enhance our community and make it a better place to live and work.
• The department’s crime reporting continues to improve with new technology in the Records Management System and the Computer Aided Dispatch system. Crime reports are being generated that assist officers in the actual locations of certain crimes, the rate of crime, and other information that may identify patterns, trends, etc.
• In an effort to keep our neighborhoods safe from those who violate the law, the officers aggressively worked at arresting those individuals who had warrants out for their arrest. These warrants ranged from Failure to Appear for court hearings, Bench Warrants signed by the judge ordering the offenders to appear, and new warrants that were issued for those who have committed other crimes in the city. Out of the 576 offenders who were on the Warrant List, 199 of the offenders were either arrested by officers, or they turned themselves in after the initial police contact at their residence. These warrant arrest initiatives will continue in 2010.
Establish effective partnerships
with all Community stakeholders
• Members of the police department participated in numerous community events that are held each year which promote partnerships between various community groups, East Lansing residents, the MSU community, and various city government departments. The community events included: 10-week ELPD Citizen’s Police Academy held in Jan-March, MSU Career Fair in February, MSU Housing Fair in March, Lansing Area Safety Council Patrol Picnic in June, the TRIAD Senior Prom at the East Lansing Marriott in July, and National Night Out festivities at Patriarche Park in August. These events were tracked throughout year and the amount of police/citizen contacts totaled over 5000 contacts.
• A property management contact list was created to establish open lines of communication between the community stakeholders and the police department. The increased flow of information between the property owners and the police resulted in pro-active and trusting relationships that will enhance positive partnerships in the future.
• Department personnel attended monthly Mothers Against Drunk Drivers impact panel discussions during the year. These impact panels allow panel members to share their stories about how they were directly affected by a drunk driver. The people in attendance were those offenders who were required to attend as part of their probation for drunk driving. These impact panels have been well received and we will continue attending these panel discussions in 2010. The average monthly attendance at these panel discussions ranged between 75-150 attendees.
• Every division within the police department updated their portion of the ELPD website on a quarterly basis. Several new features were added to the website, which included information on the newly created Explorer Post at the police department, The Top 10 Tips on how to prevent home invasions, and some new information on the Dispatch Center.
• Department personnel were active with attending meetings and representing the police department on various standing committees. These committees included: Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, Students Against Drunk Drivers, Community Relations Coalition, Get Home Safe, Old Newsboys, TRIAD, Restaurant and Hospitality, Holt Public School Mentorship Program, Mid-Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, One Hundred Club, Kiwanis, Lansing Area Safety Council, East Lansing Historical Society, East Lansing School Crisis Team, Governor’s MI Public Safety Advisory Board, Celebrations Committee, Ingham County Safe Schools, Michigan Safe Schools, MSU Police Center for Police Executive Development, Capital Area Critical Incident Stress Management, Mid-Michigan Police Academy, Crime Stoppers, and the Blue Light Players.
Actively interact with our youth through schools, programs, and activities that engage our youth with the community
• The department currently has two School Resource Officers, SROs. One officer is assigned to the schools with grades 5-8, and one officer is assigned to the East Lansing High School. These officers work with the teachers and school officials to provide a safe, secure, and educational environment for the students. The SRO in the high school is also a part of the ELHS Safety Group. The School Resource Officers use the TEAM curriculum guidelines which supplement the Michigan Model in providing the necessary information to the students. Some of the topics that are taught in the schools are: bullying, cyber safety, alcohol and the law, government in action, juvenile law, and criminal law and police procedures. These positive interactions that occur between the students and the police officers on a daily basis are invaluable to our youth and the community.
• In an effort to continue our positive interactions with our youth outside of the normal school hours, officers routinely walk through the East Lansing Library and the Hannah Community Center, to interact with the students who are patronizing these establishments for various reasons. These after-school interactions continue to provide positive relationships between our youth and the police.
• In conjunction with the Kiwanis Circle K civic group, several of our officers participated in a Reading Program at Pinecrest elementary school. This annual event allows MSU students who are members of the Kiwanis Circle K civic group and the police officers an opportunity to read to the students and interact with these elementary school children in a positive and meaningful manner.
• The East Lansing Police Department has an active Police Athletic League. PAL, as it is referred to, provides free athletic opportunities to the East Lansing youth. Some of the activities include: basketball, dodge ball, Fun Day at the Aquatic Center, and Shop with a Cop in December. PAL members also participate in our annual awards ceremonies. These after school events, allow East Lansing youths an opportunity to participate in activities that are free, safe, fun, build sound minds and bodies, and also build a positive rapport between the police and the youths in our community.
• All of the schools were surveyed to identify ways in which the police can have positive influences on the students in each of the schools. These ideas include: continue to work with the county-wide Safe Schools Initiatives, continue having SROs doing programming in the schools, police being present at large after-school events, visit the schools during lunch and recess times, assist with Truancy interventions, assist with traffic control before and after school, and continue the high level of cooperative work between the schools and the police department. Some of the ideas are a continuation of current programs and some of the ideas are new. Many of the new ideas will become a reality in future years.
We will continuously direct our efforts toward our vision of
“A Cut Above and a Step Ahead”
• A committee of department personnel was established to review current hiring practices and also to insure that the hiring procedures used to hire new employees remain at its highest level. This was to insure that the quality of employees hired in the department is of the quality this community expects from their police.
• Through the use of a federal grant, the department was able to transition to a new uniform that is being used on daily basis by the police officers. The department also went back to their original police shoulder patch, but with a darker background which matches the darker uniforms. Along with the transition to the new uniforms, formal guidelines were established for the proper wearing of the daily duty uniforms and the traditional formal uniforms.
• The department established a Historical Committee that was tasked with creating areas within the police department, to showcase the police department’s proud and rich history here in East Lansing. Many former and current employees contributed newspaper articles, artifacts and other memorabilia to the visual displays. Many of the items are currently on display in the lobby area and in the working areas of the police department.
• Captain Kim Johnson spearheaded the first annual East Lansing Organizational Leadership Series, ELOLS, for twenty-two City of East Lansing employees. These employees represented nine different departments within city government. Six of the participants were from the police department. The 8-week Leadership Series was held on eight consecutive Thursday evenings at the Hannah Community Center. The Series explored various leadership topics that our future leadership team will face in the years to come. Some of these topics included: communicating in the workplace, having a vision, how does city government work, what do current leaders look for in future leaders, and how to be a leader in our everyday lives. The ELOLS was a very successful program in its inaugural year of existence. Due to funding issues, the 2010 ELOLS Series will not occur.
• In an effort to provide better quality service to the community, and at the same time improve efficiency in city government, the police department implemented Night Court in conjunction with the 54-B District Court. The very first session of Night Court was held on July 29, 2009. Night Court will be held twice a month.
• The police department established an Explorer Post for students between the ages of 16-21 years, who have an interest in exploring the field of law enforcement. These Explorers meet twice a month to learn about law enforcement, assist at police functions, and compete against other Explorer Posts from around the state.
