LAGUNA BEACH : Community Policing Efforts to Be Expanded

With two new officers now in training, the Police Department is expanding its emphasis on community policing by launching a Cop on the Corner program.

Once the rookie officers are on the job, two more-experienced officers will begin the new program, which requires a mix of law enforcement and public relations skills.

The Cop on the Corner program will expand the department’s special details, such as foot patrols in the downtown business district and all-terrain-vehicle patrols of the beach. Police will also seek to solve community problems as they arise, Deputy Chief Jim Spreine said.

“We are starting to look at those officers who may be interested,” Spreine said. “I would say by summer we will have this program implemented. That’s our goal.”

As envisioned by Police Chief Neil J. Purcell Jr., the program would expand year-round the special patrols, which have previously been used mostly during the summer, Spreine said. The two special officers are expected to work closely with business owners, landlords and residents, he said.

For example, if an ongoing domestic problem is being caused by a family member’s alcoholism, the officer would try to find counseling for the person, Spreine said. The goal is to tackle the cause of the problem so officers will not have to keep returning to intervene, he said.

At a department staff meeting this month, administrators began soliciting officers who might be interested in the job, Spreine said.

“We want somebody who really has the community’s interest in mind,” he said.