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The administration launched a new, proactive approach to
policing to improve upon the
more traditional concept of
responding to 911 calls. Managers
and officers were responsible
for tracking the crimes in
their area and then devising
daily attack plans to solve those
crimes and prevent future offenses.
To ensure this new philosophy
was achievable, the
city was divided into three
smaller, more manageable
geographic districts. The majors
who commanded these districts
were provided specialized
resources and the latitude to
deploy them as they deemed
necessary. The goal was to
attack emerging crime patterns
and trends that were unique to
each geographic area. |
Tracking offenses as they
occurred became a critical
element of the new crime
reducing tactics. To perform this
tracking, each district was
assigned a crime analyst to
provide daily intelligence. They
created a daily report that identified
when particular crimes
were occurring, how and where
the crimes were being committed,
and who the likely offenders
were. This information
allowed for a much more efficient
and effective deployment
of crime fighting resources. |
Each officer was rewarded
for displaying initiative that
embraced the Tampa Police
Department’s annual crime
reduction goals. These goals
were distributed department wide
to ensure each officer
developed a vested interest in
reaching them. The department
then launched a series of proactive
initiatives that focused on
the Big Four. Each of these
operations indirectly reduced
violent offenses because criminals
who commit a series of
burglaries may be more likely to
commit an aggravated assault
or worse. |
A department-wide philosophy
of Community Oriented
Policing permeated the organization.
Proactive communication
with community leaders
and cooperative partnership
with neighborhoods has also
helped reduce crime and
improved the quality of life.
Ironically, most of the “new”
proactive techniques were
implementation of long established
and recognized methods
of police work that were
bundled into a new, more comprehensive
approach. It was all
designed to address the unique
crime issues in Tampa.
The executive staff understood
it would have to take the
steps explained below to successfully
implement the Focus
on Four Plan. |
