Crime plan work continues

by SHANNON KEITH

The Greenville Police Department is continuing development of a five-year comprehensive crime plan despite the departure in January of Chief William Anderson.

The new plan will “map out the future of this department,” Interim Police Chief Joe Bartlett said on Thursday. Officials will develop the plan while the City Council conducts a search for a new city manager, whose job it will be to replace Anderson.

“This department still has a mission to protect this community no matter what changes may occur,” Bartlett said. “We have to keep moving forward and I think this plan will help us to do that.”

The plan is modeled after a strategic crime plan that was implemented by the Raleigh Police Department.

“The plan in Raleigh is based on a community-oriented policing philosophy,” Bartlett said. “That philosophy provided us with the framework for our plan.”

In December, Anderson, Mayor Allen Thomas and several other members of the city's command staff went to Raleigh to review how its policing plan worked.

“We met with 20 or 30 of their officers,” Thomas said. “We spent an extensive amount of time with them and seeing how they put their plan into effect.”

Thomas said he was particularly impressed with how the strategy had an almost immediate impact on crime in southeast Raleigh.

“They took community policing to a whole new level there,” said Thomas. “And within a year, they went from 27 homicides a year to three in southeast Raleigh, and violent crime plummeted in that area.”

Thomas said that a similar strategy will work well in Greenville.

“We are doing a lot of good things, but we can always find ways to improve,” he said. “We are looking forward to getting our own plan in place.”

Thomas is confidant Bartlett can get the plan under way, he said.

“Greenville is very fortunate to have Chief Joe Bartlett,” Thomas said. “When you have a 28-year veteran like him, you know you can get things done.”

Bartlett said the department is “starting from scratch” to develop its crime plan.

“We have always used two- or three-year plans within the department, but those dealt with personnel and administrative issues,” said Bartlett. “This plan takes a broader approach to law enforcement. It's like nothing we have ever done before.”

The comprehensive crime plan's strategy, like Raleigh's, is based on the concept of community-oriented government, Bartlett said.

“Our biggest focus will be on organizing community involvement,” Bartlett said. “There are a lot of resources out in our community, it's just a matter of organizing them and getting them focused.”

Barlett said the plan also develops a closer relationship between the police and other city departments.

“Basically, it streamlines the system,” said Bartlett. “This isn't just a plan for the police, it's a plan for all of our city's departments to work together to enhance the quality of life in Greenville.”

Allen said an example of that concept will be inter-departmental training that will help city workers recognize criminal activity and report it, which will enhance police response time to many situations.

“We have employees from all these different divisions out in every part of the city,” said Thomas. “That gives us a lot more eyes and ears out on the streets and can help the police department be more effective.”

Development is in its early stages, but Bartlett hopes to have it completed and implemented before a new chief of police is hired.

“I plan to have it in place for the new chief,” Bartlett said. “I hope that it will make that transition easier.”

http://www.reflector.com/crimerescue/police-crime-plan-work-continues-994897

.