A Project for Citizen Participation in Planning the Future of Akron

Workgroup on Police Services

1. Communication: There should be better communication between the department and citizens. This can be achieved through:

   1. An interactive website that allows individuals access to who the officers are and what districts they work in, general laws and penalties, as well as a means to email the department about a problem or question they may have.
   2. Various community surveys will enable the police to redirect their focus on ways to serve and protect the citizens of Akron. These surveys can include, but should not be limited to, citizen satisfaction surveys, fear of crime surveys and quality of service surveys.
   3. Reverse 911 will enable the police department to notify citizens of a situation that is occurring in their neighborhoods.

   4. Encouraging the formation of block clubs in good times, and bad, would create contact among neighbors. This contact would promote trust among the neighbors as well as with police.

2. Education: Officers and citizens need to receive training.

   1. The COPS philosophy must start at the recruit level and be reinforced by mandatory annual training by every officer. The officers will learn how to refer individuals to the correct community service when it the need is warranted. Officers will also need to take courses on how to deal with crimes involving new technology.

   2. Community resource centers could be set up in every district for citizens. These centers would have programs where employees from the police department, various city departments and social service agencies could speak to citizens on how to deal with problems. These centers would also allow citizens to learn from officers which calls to the police department will be answered by a cruiser and which calls will be referred to other City of Akron resources. This would empower the police department to shift from being call-driven to pro-active.

3. Image: The department needs to project a better image.

   1. More visibility of police presence is very important. This can be obtained by having one-officer cruisers instead of two-officer cruisers. A step further would be to encourage officers to take cruisers home and use them off duty.
   2. Cooperating with media through the use of a Public Information Officer shows that the department wants to serve and protect to their fullest potential is needed. Good stories about acts of bravery and kindness by officers go a long way.

   3. Citizens Academies should be continually held. These are a good means of letting citizens get a small glimpse of the life of a police officer.

4. Resource Sharing: The department should partner with other City of Akron departments as well as police departments in other cities and the county. This cooperation would strengthen each department as well as save money.

   1. Other City of Akron departments should encourage the use of their facilities and manpower. This cooperation enables the police department to refer problems that should not be police concerns.
   2. Training and equipment costs should be shared. Since departments are required by the state to have the same training, money would be well spent by combining facilities that could be used by various departments.

   3. Options need to be considered on how to handle the lack of jail space. Two ideas would be for police departments to share the cost of a jail or to look at privatization of jails.

5. Youth: There should be more opportunity for interaction between officers and youth at times other than those of crisis and confrontation.

   1. Current Juvenile Diversion and Mentoring programs should be expanded. Perhaps a Youth Academy, similar to the Citizen's Academy, could be started.
   2. Neighborhood Youth Forums, a Youth Hotline where people could call to report abuse, gang activity, etc. could be implemented. If the suggested Community Resource Centers become a reality there might be times that are available for "kids only" to come and talk to officers, ask questions, and report problems.
   3. The Police in School program needs to be expanded to include more education at every level, not just security. There should be a component added to the school curriculum to address this issue.

   4. Parents, also, need to be held more accountable for the actions of their children.