COLLABORATION
IN COMMUNITY POLICING
The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department
is a law enforcement organization based on
the philosophy of community policing.
Although the phrase “community
policing” is a relatively new term to
law enforcement, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s
Department has been practicing community policing
for 30 years.
The department prides itself on its
responsiveness to the community.
Spread
over 1,520 square miles, Stanislaus County
is a diverse mixture of ethnicities, while
combining industry with agriculture.
There are deputies specifically assigned
to each sector who specialize in problem-solving
within their assigned sector, as well as their
first-response patrol duties.
Nowhere
has community policing been more successful
than the Salida Substation, recipient of the
2004 James Q. Wilson Award.
Salida is the northernmost unincorporated
town in Stanislaus County.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau,
Salida grew from 4,499 in 1990 to its current
estimate of more than 18,000, making it the
fourth most populous community in Stanislaus
County.
The combination of “old town”
citizens and new “commuter” residents
working in the Bay Area has made for a unique
mix of interests.
Each
Salida deputy handles Problem Oriented Policing
(POP) projects, working with various agencies
to resolve complaints and blight issues.
They work to abate nuisance houses
and enforce code violations and identify and
rectify dangerous conditions.
Each deputy works on a community project
with a nonprofit group throughout the year
to improve the quality of life in Salida.
Deputies recently coordinated and organized
a community safety fair, the Salida Town and
Country Festival and Parade, organized and
delivered more than 70 dinners to needy families
at Thanksgiving, provided coats and toys for
children at Christmas, developed and trained
the Salida schools with disaster preparedness
plans, held monthly Town Watch and Neighborhood
Watch meetings and organized National Night
Out.
The result is a crime reduction, per
capita, in virtually every category.
The Salida deputies operate under the
mantra that the cornerstone of community policing
is public safety and believe in the phrase
“make it happen.”
They deliver service with courage,
compassion and common sense.
Their efforts have improved the quality
of life in Salida.
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