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Community Policing: The Next Level
When Jeff Andritz became Rensselaer’s Interfraternity Council President, he and his fellow members had some ideas. What they also had was the desire to involve others and act on those ideas.
The Department of Public Safety’s Director, Bernie Drobnicki, made a decision in October after the start of the 2002-2003 Semester, that DPS would take its Community Policing Philosophy to the “next” level. For the first time, a Lieutenant would be tasked with Community Policing with a full time focus.
Lt. Joe Audino was assigned to over-see the team and was provided the latitude to select a team of Officers who already proved by example, that they had the desire and skills necessary to work more closely with students, faculty and staff and form a partnership with the community in an effort to deter crime and solve problems.
The department has always offered programs and has made significant improvements and efforts with the community. However, these in-roads seemed to be getting done “in between” the normal course of duties. “We just couldn’t get past the idea that we didn’t have enough people to justify a Lieutenant being moved from other duties”, says Lt. Joe Audino.
Our internal belief system and experience told us that in the “long run”, there would be less time spent taking reports, investigating incidents, performing extensive follow up investigations, and performing all the other important, but REACTIVE things that we “have” to do because we, like many others in law enforcement, are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of calls for service. Especially in a college setting as Public Safety Departments normally offer services that Police Departments in jurisdictions other than universities, cannot offer due to priorities and manpower concerns.
In October, the decision was made to trust our “belief system”. Our belief was that Investigations would not be as overwhelmed reacting to an overload of cases IF Public Safety could partner with Residence Life and the students in an effort to deter incidents. The “routine” patrol function could eventually spend more time on bike and foot patrols and less time writing reports. We also realized that this could take a while to occur. A normal cause and effect reaction once officers are perceived as being more approachable is that people will be inclined to communicate problems and report incidents. We were prepared that the results could take time and that the actual reporting of crime and incidents could increase.
The past IFC President, John Mueller, took notice of some of the things DPS was doing prior to the “full time” effort. Officers had started a “sports challenge” program. DPS was challenged, and did the challenging, with fraternities, sororities, residence life staff, student groups and even faculty. We played softball, volleyball, flag football, basketball, bowling and billiards. Simply having fun with others and having others see the officers as “regular” people had a positive affect. Many officers formed solid relationships with RA’s and individual students. Flag football did present more of a problem for us than the other challenges. Many of us had trouble entering and exiting the patrol units for a few days due to muscle soreness. And for those of us without muscles, we were sore too!
The past IFC President knew, along with many others, that we were already conducting RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) programs, Defensive Driving, CPR and First Aid, Fire Safety, and a variety of other Personal Safety programs.
The lack of programs and ideas was NEVER the problem. The problem was with following through and seeing those ideas to fruition. The problem was “burn out”. We were trying our best to serve the community with these programs in between calls for service and “other duties and responsibilities as assigned”. Administratively, it was difficult to provide the leadership necessary to move forward into a true community policing function, when the same administrator was responsible for investigations, shift scheduling, and several other responsibilities “clouding” the focus. FOCUS was one of the problems.
Lt. Joe Audino tells us not to underestimate the “having fun” part of community policing. At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, we use the term “Community Outreach Programming”. “No matter what one terms it, having fun with students, faculty and staff can certainly go a long way in building bridges”, says Audino. “Because of our officers being more involved, more accessible and approachable, opportunities began to develop”. Officers began meeting with Residence Life staff and were asked to attend many of the individual hall meetings. Problems were discussed openly with the Public Safety Officer and solutions, many times, became the students’ solution. “We went from asking the students to be involved with us to the students asking us to be involved with them”. Several residence halls organized a skating day at the field house. DPS would possibly not have known that was even happening in the past as it was a “private” affair among residence life staff and students. Because of the relationships being built, Residence Life invited Public Safety to attend. The weather turned out to be very bad that day, so Public Safety made arrangements for a shuttle to take the students back and forth to the arena on campus. The result was more student involvement. Several officers came to skate including a Sergeant, a Lieutenant and even the Assistant Chief. The day was a positive in every way.
Not long after, DPS was invited to a night of bowling and billiards at the student union. Two residence halls combined their efforts and several Public Safety officers came out to bowl with the students. Officer Frank Sorriento, a 20 year plus member of Public Safety, provided a spectacular “trick-shot” demonstration, mesmerizing many of the students with his abilities at the pool table.
Another benefit is that even when participation is smaller than desired or expected, the quality of the time spent is important. Other students notice and ask questions. Students are no different than the rest of us…They spread negative news and experiences. This means they also spread POSITIVE news and experiences!
So it was no surprise when the IFC leadership came to Public Safety and requested regular meetings. Lt. Audino and Sgt. Vumbaco also put the IFC in direct contact with the City of Troy’s Community Policing team. Officer Jim Bottillo met directly with the IFC leadership to discuss neighborhood issues, the City’s Nuisance Abatement Program, and a general discussion about perceptions and attitudes. Both the City Police Department and RPI Public Safety have been working closely together with various neighborhood committees in a serious and consistent attempt to improve relations between the university and the neighborhoods. Rensselaer is also taking a major leadership role in neighborhood renewal projects and partnering with the people of the city and city government.
As a result of the meetings between Public Safety and the IFC, a “Neighborhood Cleanup Day” was organized for Sunday April 27th. DPS assisted in the coordination of the event, partnering with the City to make arrangements for tools and resources to make the day successful. Most important though, was the decision to rely on the City’s desires and input and the neighborhood’s input as to just where the cleanup would occur. “We wanted to make sure that we weren’t making ALL the decisions as if we know best”, says Lt. Audino. “To be a truly cooperative effort, the City’s input is critical.” It was decided that the work to be done would occur at Prospect Park off of Congress Street and the “12th Street Approach”, on Peoples Avenue.
Jeff Andritz and Andy Sullivan of the IFC came up with a plan that over 100 IFC members would work at Prospect Park, as the goal was to rake, prune and clean up very large areas of the park. A Fraternity not far from the 12th Street Approach would have its membership work with Public Safety on the approach. Public Safety, making use of one of its Parking and Transportation Shuttles, would also pick up and deliver the lunch that would serve approximately 130 IFC members, hungrier than the average persons.
The work began at 9 am and continued on until 1:30 in the afternoon. Mayor Mark Pattison, Deputy Mayor Jim Conroy, and other City Officials came out to greet and work with the students. And work the students did! IFC members, led by Andritz and Sullivan, cleaned up and moved tons of debris, cleaning up key areas of Prospect Park.
Phi Kappa Alpha Fraternity members also put in an outstanding effort and worked side by side with Public Safety Officers Leslie Norton, Matt Trolio, Lt. Audino and Tony Miorin. Neighborhood committee members brought rakes, shovels, brooms and pruning equipment and worked with the team. Graffiti was removed from the concrete surface of the approach and as one neighbor commented “I haven’t seen the Approach that clean since I was a kid.” Other much needed equipment came from Scott Litwin’s Landscape Operations at RPI.
The City made arrangements to have all the debris picked up during the week and a very successful Neighborhood Cleanup Day was accomplished.
Perhaps the most fun of the day though, was witnessing the “feeding frenzy” that occurred at 1:30 pm. Lt. Audino and Tony Miorin delivered tables and all the food and “fixins” from the Student Union and delivered the bounty to the IFC membership. “Before we could get the first table out of the shuttle and get it set up to serve the food, I think half of the pizza had already been devoured”, said Lt. Audino. “I’ve never quite seen food disappear like that before!”
This was a very effective and rewarding day. However, “follow up” will be the key. Officer Jim Bottillo of the Troy Police Department and Lt. Joe Audino of Public Safety followed up with the City and made sure all debris was removed. They then visited the fraternity that cleaned up the 12th Street Approach and discussed the possibility of the frat “adopting” the Approach similar to the “Adopt a Highway” program, so that a sense of “ownership” would evolve and that the project started, would continue. “It was a tremendous effort from the IFC. What is needed though, are smaller, more consistent efforts throughout the year, to prove we are all in it for the long run”, said Officer Jim Bottillo.
There is little doubt from Lt. Audino and Sgt. Vumbaco that those smaller, more consistent efforts will occur. “The IFC isn’t out to make a one-time kind of statement to the community”, says Audino. “They have made it clear to us that their desire to take part in what Doctor Jackson, President of Rensselaer, has termed “Communiversity” will be on-going and unprecedented.” “They have the energy and leadership to improve both their community and their image”, stated Audino.
“To us at DPS though, their image has been a positive one and also one that conceivably is more understood”. They have a similar dilemma and challenge that law enforcement is accustomed to…. “Do a hundred good things and do them well and a few people notice… Have one negative incident or perceived poor performance, and hundreds take notice”, said Audino. It’s not a complaint. It’s the nature of the business. That’s why it takes hard work and effort to make and keep the positive image we all desire!
Lt. J.A. Audino
Community Outreach Programming Coordinator
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