Our Community Policing Responsibilities

Our Community Policing Responsibilities

Society needs better tools to assist in community policing.  We should not expect that more gadgetry for officers is how society will improve.  Instead of placing all the responsibility on others, we should have a way to improve our communities ourselves.  I am not advocating vigilantism, but rather that we be more aware, involved, and responsible of our communities.  With the added pressure we get from taxes and higher cost of living we really need a solution for the public safety crisis which is running rampant across America.

How am I supposed to pay the bills and have hobbies?  It seems like the only hobbies I can have are 10 minutes here and there on my smartphone... hardly productive.  Yes, I want a hobby that is productive.  Imagine a place where citizens could participate in the community policing efforts through voluntary communication with law enforcement.  If I do not want to assist in policing efforts today, I don't have to.  I may be busy doing something else.  But tomorrow I have 10 minutes to spare for a productive hobby; if there is such a thing to be found that only takes 10 minutes.

Police officers have a task much too big to handle alone, they are consistently understaffed and underpaid.  We should be able to help keep our parts of the world safer.  I believe there are ways we can improve communication between law abiding citizens and law enforcement agencies.  To do this, we need to think outside the box and say "what if".

I am sure some companies out there are trying to do something like that, but as an average citizen, I have not seen them.  We live in an age where information is presented to us without the need to go looking for it, so who can present a link between law enforcement and our community policing efforts?

I believe something needs to be done to help people like you and me participate in positive, productive, and meaningful ways, but the answer has to be available to all of us.