BREA, YORBA LINDA : New Approach to Policing Proposed

The efficiency of a police department was once judged on how fast it responded to calls for help and on the number of arrests made and citations issued.

No longer.

While a fast and efficient response is still necessary, police are also expected to help resolve problems that triggered the calls in the first place, according to Capt. James E. Oman, the acting Brea police chief.

On any given day, most calls are not urgent or related to murder, robbery or other major crimes. In Brea and Yorba Linda at least, the calls are often about barking dogs or youths vandalizing property, Oman said.

“People would rather trade prompt response for an effective long-term solution,” he said.

That is the basic concept behind community policing, said Oman.

Last week, Oman gave City Council members an outline of what he called “problem-oriented policing,” a concept similar to community-based policing, which is being used in Los Angeles and elsewhere in California and the nation.

Oman said a study launched last September to determine what features of community-based policing should be adopted is expected to be finished in June.

Brea and Yorba Linda are expected to adopt a similar program.

“We are very pleased and proud that our Police Department is looking at creative and non-traditional ways of improving public safety,” Mayor Burnie Dunlap said, adding that the plan will bring the police closer to the community.

According to Oman, police agencies in several large cities began experimenting with different approaches to fighting crime after the civil unrest of the 1960s and early 1970s. They tried foot patrols, storefront operations and mobile community vans to reach the community.

In the process, he said, police agencies began to find that communities could help authorities combat crime.

“Community policing became popular in areas where street crime, drugs, gangs and prostitution had become entrenched. It was literally a means of taking back the streets,” Oman said.

In Brea and Yorba Linda, problems are not as bad. Still, improvements in policing strategies are needed, according to Oman.

“We don’t feel we’re in that situation of taking back our streets, but we need to follow up on service calls and see that the problems are resolved,” he said. Previously, traditional police response policy required that each call be resolved on the spot.

Under the proposed plan, Brea and Yorba Linda would be divided into zones with a lieutenant as area commander and a sergeant as area supervisor.

Oman said that organization would allow for monitored problem-solving as well as help determine accountability. The measure of success would be the number of problems resolved.

Problem-oriented policing will incorporate police programs such as Neighborhood Watch, bike patrol and gang detail and coordinate with other city agencies and local organizations.

Oman said the program would not require additional officers and would require only a minimal amount of additional city funds, mostly for training.