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Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad Readers may respond to this letter using the form below April 13, 2006 LETTER TO THE EDITOR Local Commentary Community policing gets to the heart of the matter By Timothy B. Smith Ashland About This Article From time to time, the editorial board will invite contributions on issues of local relevance, from authors who have a degree of involvement or expertise in the topic at hand. Police work is unusual in that almost everybody has an opinion about what constitutes effective police service. This is true whether or not the opinion holder has any legitimate knowledge about what police officers actually do. Such scrutiny brings to mind Hamlet’s grand existential statement that “there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Uninformed scrutiny is unfair to those working hard to maintain the peace and earn the public trust, but can spur debate, allowing the public to gain greater knowledge to turn their inspection into knowledgeable participation. The local debate right about Ashland Police Chief Michael Bianca’s resignation, and the implementation of “Community Policing,” is one such public debate. In a Feb. 7 letter to the editor, Maria Randolph offered a “hypothetical situation” that clearly represented an actual problem she was encountering. What, she asked, could community policing do to address her expressed concerns? In sum, she lived in a neighborhood where drugs were openly dealt, children were neglected and abused, and vandalism was rampant. She stated that police officers knew about the problem and urged her to move. She refused to move because she was a HUD renter and believed that most landlords would not want her as a tenant. Community policing can address a problem like this. The key word is “problem.” No math teacher would tell a troubled student to forget about solving a problem and move on to an easier one. Instead, they would work with the student to find a solution by using established problem-solving principles. Community policing, or perhaps more accurately, problem-oriented policing, works the same way. The key components of Ms. Randolph’s problem are: drug dealing, neglected and abused children, vandalism, and the fact that she’s a HUD renter. As a police administrator, I would have specific expectations of an officer who was confronted with this problem. First, I would require that he or she identify the “stakeholders.” Which persons or organizations either have, or should have, a stake in the solution of the problem? I have some limitations here, because I know San Diego resources better than those in Ashland. I’ll proceed as though the resources I’m familiar with are available here too. The stakeholders that come to mind are concerned neighbors, Ms. Randolph’s landlord, as well as other local landlords, Children’s Protective Services, the city attorney’s office and HUD. Brainstorming between stakeholders might identify additional resources. With resources identified, it’s time for a meeting to develop and implement a plan. Is there a vacant apartment that can temporarily house undercover detectives? Once inside, officers could videotape or otherwise document illegal activities to gather irrefutable evidence for use in court after criminal offenders have been arrested. If vandals are “captured” on videotape, they can be arrested at the appropriate time. If no videotape is available and the officers have not personally witnessed the vandalism, is the vandalism in the form of graffiti? Taggers use a discernible language in their writings that will usually identify the artist and those they run with. Stakeholders can identify a local graffiti expert and bring them into the pool of problem solvers. It’s important to note that HUD is not an impediment to the process. On the contrary, it is likely to be the project’s biggest asset. HUD has stringent rules about who qualifies for their assistance. Are the people involved in the criminal activity HUD participants? If so, they will lose their benefits and be forced to move. Are area landlords participating with the HUD program? If so, they will lose their right to do so if they knowingly allow criminal activity in their complexes. It might also be time to pass a new law. If landlords remain uncooperative, the city attorney’s office could pass a municipal code stating that landlords who knowingly allow criminal activity will be prosecuted. Additionally, they could pass “stay away orders” for those who have been arrested, making them subject to arrest if they return to the area. Once the area patrol officer believes that a problem has been solved, it is time to conduct an assessment. Has the problem been effectively addressed? If not, have another look at the data and develop another solution. If so, there is a roster of resources available should future problems arise. Community policing can solve problems. But it requires that the community and police both recognize the need to join forces to make it work. Mr. Smith served at many levels of police work with the San Diego Police Department during his 27-year career. He is a freelance writer, lecturer and consultant. He specializes in the topics of police-community relations, and safe schools. He lives in Ashland. The Tidings gives priority to letters on local and regional topics of current interest. It seeks to encourage thoughtful, well-reasoned letters and to discourage personal attacks, repetitive messages and personal disputes. Form letters are not published in the Tidings, nor are letters identified as having been published in other publications. Contributions to the Opinion page should be e-mailed in text-only format to [email protected]. Please include your address and a daytime phone number where you can be reached for confirmation. Letters are limited to 250 words. At Length submissions are limited to 400 words. Submissions may be edited for length, content and clarity. See www.dailytidings.com for our expanded letters and opinion section. . Leave a Comment: --> Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.