Pontiac, Michigan Police Department Launches Community Policing Web Site
The Pontiac, Mich., Police Department, Oakland County, and the Courts and Law Enforcement Management Information System (CLEMIS) have jointly launched a Web-based community-oriented policing system intended to increase the voice in crimefighting by giving citizens more information about crime and by improving communication between local neighborhood watch organizations and the police department.
In addition to offering answers to frequently asked questions about various police-related topics, the site provides maps updated each week with pinpoints and information about recent crime activities, the first time such local crime statistics have been made available to residents online.
“Community-oriented policing is based on establishing a partnership between police officers and citizens, in order to proactively reduce crime instead of reacting to crime after it occurs,” says Pontiac Chief of Police Rollie Gackstetter. “The key to crime prevention is our strength together.”
The site is a pilot project for the county and CLEMIS, which will later roll out the Web program to other police departments belonging to CLEMIS.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Government Technology (10/04) .