City officials say the new five-section police patrol model is working, and it supports the police department's community engagement initiative.
Mayor Lovely Warren joined officials from the RPD to announce the release of two new reports.
She says the 90 Days of Community Engagement report was was based on a series of community meetings in each of the five sections, along with telephone town halls, surveys and meetings over a 90 day period.
Deputy Chief of Community Engagement Relations for the RPD, Wayne Harris, says they've learned from residents that many don't understand police procedures and tactics.
"There's a lack of understanding as it relates to rules and regulations, or state statutes that govern a law enforcement agency's ability to operate in a community. But on the same side there was a lack of understanding on our part exactly what the community wanted," he said.
From the 90 day initiative, meeting with residents, the city identified 8 key themes that can provide direction to improve police-community relations.
And communication is at the top of the list, according to Harris.
"That's why we listed it first, among the eight topics that we came up with, because it related to so many different things. This is all going to be about talking, it's going to be about building relationships and getting to know one another," he said.
Chief Michael Ciminelli says the evaluation shows some successes, but also areas where clearly more work must done.
He says building a culture of trust among residents and police is a continual process.
"It's very important that police try to understand and communicate with the community and understand the community's feelings. It's also very important that the community understand why we do what we do. So there's no end point. It's a constant process," he said.
Mayor Lovely Warren noted that the evaluation indicates the new five-section police model strongly supports the police department's community engagement efforts.
"We now have a plan to improve engagement, a strong foundation to build upon, and we will strengthen the bond between our officers and the community," she said.
Residents can discuss the initiative with police at five community meetings, starting next Wednesday night the Goodman and Genesee Sections.
Click here to view the reports.