Solving Problems and Building Partnerships through Community Policing
The Owasso Police Department delivers services founded in our belief that we, as Public Servants have a responsibility to partner with citizens and solve problems using the community policing approach.
Community policing is a philosophy, management style, and organizational design that promotes proactive problem solving and police-community partnerships to address the causes of crime and fear, as well as other community issues. While Owasso is certainly a community with a low crime rate, citizen collaboration with the police is increasingly seen as the most effective way to maintain a highly sustainable quality of life. Community policing in Owasso represents a shift from a reactive to a proactive problem-solving method.
A seemingly simple concept, community policing actually required a complex and strategic approach of changes to our police department’s organizational culture and structure. These changes are combined with innovative approaches to prevent and fight crime that call for extensive community cooperation and planning.
Community policing is built on the two foundations of problem solving and building partnerships. One of the core elements of community policing is solving problems; whether through innovative solutions or simply the execution. Responsible strategies of community policing in Owasso redefine who is responsible for public safety and evaluates the roles and relationships between our police department and our community. Community policing requires shared ownership, shared decision making and shared accountability. Sir Robert Peel founder of the first modern police department in 1829, stated “Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.”
Recently, Owasso launched its Strong Neighborhood Program that will greatly assist and identify needs and priorities for a common goal. As information is collected and analyzed, resolutions are developed facilitating responses that are calculated and tailored with the best potential solution. Owasso’s vision statement embraces the very essence of this program, which is built on collaboration between community stakeholders and the city departments for the shared goal of providing a safe quality of life, and doing so by effectively and efficiently using our available resources.
Owasso is a community built on character that continues to have substantial growth, but maintains a hometown family feel. Many times this growth changes the dynamic of that small-town feel, but with the community working together along side its city leaders and departments, it is able to manage the growth and still enjoy the qualities of life from the annual Burning of the Greens to packing the Ram stadium for Friday night football. In our ever changing world we are able to offer innovative protection, such as putting Segways in our school’s hallways and community shopping areas during the holiday season allowing response to the most critical of incidents; but without a strong partnership we will never achieve greatness. Our city team leaders continue to focus on the vision to always build a greater Owasso, which involves working side by side with its citizens. “Removing every obstacle standing in the way of people celebrating their lives” will always be our priority.