Community-oriented policing can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people.

In the wake of well-documented tensions between police and citizens around the country, community policing is again gaining traction as an important concept. Although exact definitions vary, the U.S. Department of Justice describes community policing as an approach to law enforcement that is based on collaborating with local people and organizations to proactively solve problems.

The Gaithersburg Police Department (GPD) has always been mindful of its profile within and around the city, but officers and leaders are planning even more interactions with the public in 2017 as a way of addressing existing issues—and stopping potential problems before they take root.

“If there’s an area where we’re having a high call volume or a not-high-enough call volume, we can come out and talk to people and have a community awareness day,” said Officer Dan Lane, GPD public information officer. “We look at what calls for service are coming in and we keep track of what communities we go to and the calls we get from the communities. The education does work based on how calls came in the previous year and this year.”

For example, according to Lane, the department expects to hold more Coffee With a Cop events. These public events, in which police meet with residents to discuss neighborhood challenges or even just the latest movies, could happen as many as eight times this year.

“We talk about everything from traffic citations to serious crimes and everything in-between,” Lane said. “Sometimes we talk about our favorite shows.”

According to Lane, GPD could hold as many as eight Coffee With a Cop events in various neighborhoods throughout the year. Special giveaways and events for children and families may be another option this year, as are events with houses of worship and apartment complexes.

In addition, effective community policing means getting the word out on existing and potential issues. This is where social media can play a big role, and it is why GPD is looking at ways to broaden use of Twitter, Facebook, and potentially other social applications to interact and communicate with residents and organizations.

“This year we will try to beef up a little more what we do (on social media) and see what works,” Lane said.



County Police Welcome New K9 Grads

The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) now has three new four-legged officers in the line of duty. K9 Arco, K9 Gabby, and K9 Noah all joined MCPD following an extensive training course.

The three police dogs graduated from MCPD’s K9 Basic Patrol School on Jan. 6. This 16-week training class was completed by nine K9 teams, including one from the Gaithersburg Police Department, and covered searching, tracking, agility, apprehension and obedience.

K9 Noah is named in memory of Montgomery County Police Officer Noah Leotta, who was struck and killed by a drunk driver in 2015.