Northeast News
June 25, 2014

It is all about the pin map. Back when Barry Mayer commanded the Police Department’s East Patrol Division, pin maps and crime trends were the rule of the day. Crimes were tracked so trends could be observed and policed proactively by officers. Following Mayer’s retirement, however, the EPD, and moreover the community, were subjected to commanders who were, as this newsdog would say, less than stellar. One Major in particular even stated at a community meeting that it was “too dangerous on Independence Avenue to put bicycle officers.”

You heard me. Too dangerous for even the popo to be here.

With community policing effectively killed at this patrol zone, enter new Commander Major Rick Smith. Can you say jam up? This community canine is happy to report that Smith has brought a new, proactive community based paradigm back to EPD and it includes weekly meetings with district officers and command staff that actually include pin maps. GASP!

Using some alternative policing methods we won’t go into, community based policing seems at least to be on the upswing at EPD, harkening back the glory days when Northeast had Community Action Network, CAN, officers, Community Action Team, CAT, Officers and a strong community policing mindset.

It might not be a full scale return to the principles of community policing, but it’s darn close and that makes this news-dog pretty darned pleased, especially given the abysmal recent history of less-than-community-engaged commanders at EPD.