New Ways of Expanding
Crime Prevention Programs:
Connecting with your Community Outside of Social Media
By: Chief Laura Farinella, Laguna Beach Police Department
Last year we found ourselves trying to come up with new and different
ways of connecting with our community during the age of social media.
Policing at its core is a people business and face-to-face interaction with
the community is essential. It is where ideas are exchanged, and trust and
partnerships are built. Not only was it imperative for our department to
keep moving forward with community policing initiatives, but we could not
deviate from the fact that the public will always be our “eyes and ears.” We
also wanted to exploit to our advantage the opportunity of empowering the
community that if they, SEE something, they SAY something!”
In discussing all of the possibilities of how the best
partner with our community outside of our social media
platform, two ideas rose to the top of the list, Realtor
Watch and Dog Walker Watch.
REALTOR WATCH:
Previously we had an officer meet weekly with the local
Board of Realtors to go through the new listings in town,
in an effort to be aware of possible thefts and other crimes
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that can be targeted at homes for sale. We learned these
marketing meetings also set aside time for continued
professional training. We proposed an idea to the Board of
Realtors of having one of our officers attend at least one
monthly meeting to go over crime issues, neighborhood
nuisance matters or opportunities for community
involvement. Within the first two meetings, it gained
traction and became wildly successful, and Realtor Watch
was born!