Issue link: http://lawandordermag.epubxp.com/i/139048
UP-CLOSE Community Redevelopment Policing Unit SUMMARY The goal of the Community Redevelopment Policing Unit is to create and maintain a partnership with those who operate businesses in as well as those who live in or visit the community redevelopment area. This is accomplished by an aggressive, innovative, policing model with a strong emphasis on prevention, community outreach, education, and problem solving. COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT POLICING UNIT BOTH PRO-ACTIVE AND RE-ACTIVE POLICING MODELS ARE USED. By Jim Weiss and Mickey Davis Another tent was occupied by two men. The CRPU Officer Steve Vangeli introduced himself and the social services counselor by their first names. While the men were being interviewed, a homeless woman showed up who did not live there. 40 LAW and ORDER I June 2013 A new type of policing unit has been created within the Pinellas Park, Fla. Police Department to address problems in the Community Redevelopment Areas (CRA) of the city. This police department's Community Redevelopment Policing Unit (CRPU) is a next-generation community policing team committed to identifying community problems inside the 2-square-mile targeted area. One of the CRPU's goals is to focus on increasing the quality of life in the area, and regain the ambiance and beauty of the CRA for its businesses and residents. Once the community's problems are identifed, members of this policing team employ both pro-active and re-active policing. The policing might involve small issues like discouraging panhandling, working with property owners to get trash cleared out of vacant and occupied lots, or removing graffti from walls. It also means partnering with social services and addressing the larger issue of the homeless in that area. The CRPU takes community policing to the next level. The Pinellas Park Police has 104 sworn offcers, seven of whom make up the Community Redevelopment Policing Unit. There are 1400 businesses within the CRA, which is considered to be the downtown area. The CRPU consists of one lieutenant, one detective and fve offcers. There are between 25 and 30 different cultures in Pinellas Park, including a Bosnian community and Asian population, with Vietnamese prominent within it. The police know it is a tremendous hurdle to reach out to their new Hispanic population, and are identifying blind spots such as the language barrier. The unit's offcers are now in the problem-solving business. Establishing the CRPU Funding for the CRPU program came from using a $1 million Federal stimulus grant, part of the Department of Justice COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP). The city's proposal for this grant funding was one of 1,000 chosen from 7,700 submitted. Key requirement components for this grant included: to create and preserve jobs, increase