“Police must secure the willing cooperation of the public in voluntary observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain the respect of the public.”
SIR ROBERT PEEL, FATHER OF MODERN POLICING
The Richwood Police Department is a full service 24/7/365 public safety organization. We are composed of six (6) uniform patrol officers, two (2) police sergeants, one (1) criminal investigator, four (4) reserve police officers, and the chief of police.
Under the leadership of Chief Stephen Scot Mayer, the organization embraces a policing philosophy he has dubbed Compliance B4 Accountability. This philosophy stems from a Peelian principle which reads, “Police must secure the willing cooperation of the public in voluntary observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain the respect of the public.” This translates into the Police Department prioritizing and encouraging community awareness and conformity to the law. Chief Mayer believes aggressive enforcement of the law, through accountability measures, are to be utilized (with few exceptions) primarily when initial efforts to gain compliance of the law have proven unsuccessful.
But, what does Compliance B4 Accountability look like in practice?
Richwood police officers are encouraged to focus on ways to assist the public in not breaking the law versus merely focusing on the handing out of accountability measures. Likewise, we believe in focusing on the ultimate goal of a project and using that as a guide in directing our compliance and enforcement efforts.
For instance, we realize the traditional method of addressing speeding vehicles in a school zone is by means of a police officer, in an out-of-sight police cruiser, running radar, clocking violators, making traffic stops, and then issuing citations. Although this is a tried and true method, certainly a method of benefit, we go further and ask ourselves, “Is it the only method”, “Is this the best method?”, “Is there a more effective way?” If so, “What is it?”.
Obviously, the ultimate goal of any police department, working traffic enforcement in a school zone, is to ensure the safety of the children. What could be more important than that? So, we asked ourselves, “What’s better? An officer watching a motorist speed through a school zone, then chasing after the violator and issuing a citation, or an officer being so visible that motorists decide for themselves not to speed in the school zone. We believe the latter is the correct choice. We found, positioning a police cruiser, in a school zone, with an officer inside, running radar, while having the red and blue lights flashing, results, more times than not, in no speeding violations. That’s right, no speeding motorists, and no speeding motorists means much safer children.
“I believe if we were to ask any reasonable person what they would prefer, being a victim of a social harm and the police holding the violator accountable, or never being a victim at all, nearly all would say, ‘Never be a victim at all.’”
Stephen Scot Mayer, Chief of Police
That is but one example, but that is what Compliance B4 Accountability is all about. It revolves around finding creative ways to encourage the public to not break the law. Chief Mayer has said many times over the years, “I believe if we were to ask any reasonable person what they would prefer, being a victim of a social harm and the police holding the violator accountable, or never being a victim at all, nearly all would say, “Never be a victim at all.” That’s our goal, to do what we can to encourage observance of the law. In doing so, we prevent victimization, we do not have to employ an accountability measure (which we’re thrilled about), we get to provide the greatest level of safety we can, and we can live up to our motto of, “Policing done right!” Focusing on our Compliance B4 Accountability model helps the Richwood Police Department prevent crime, crashes, and disorder.
“To recognize always that the test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, and not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with them.”
Sir Robert Peel, Father of Modern Policing
As an organization which embraces the Peelian Principles, we hold to a belief that police officers must do all that is possible to prevent crime and disorder. Two such Peelian principles state, “To recognize always that the test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, and not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with them.” and “The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder” We take this to mean if the organization is to be truly effective it must use all methods, within the law, to prevent social harms from occurring in Richwood. The organization accomplishes this effort primarily through tactical and strategic data analysis. Through strategic data analysis, the organization realizes long-term statistical trends, hot spots, and problems within the community. Through tactical data analysis, the department understands short-term series or patterns of social harms within the community. Both strategic and tactical data analysis provide an excellent foundation for effective preventative patrol tactics. It allows police officers to identify and address problems through focused patrol patterns within areas of town where social harms are most prevalent. Obviously, crime occurrence has a variety of socioeconomic causation factors, not all of which can be prevented by the police. Nevertheless, when possible the organization makes a concerted effort toward social harm prevention.
The Richwood Police Department strives daily to provide the best quality policing humanly possible. Do you have recommendations on how we can do better? If so, please do not hesitate to email Chief Mayer your suggestions. We believe, when the public and the police work together to address social harms the community is all the better for it. You can find Chief Mayer’s email link below.
