The Sandia Police Department is strongly committed to the basic concepts of community oriented policing (COP). However, because the term “community policing” has so many different meanings to so many different law enforcement agencies, we feel it is necessary to explain our version of the term. The Pueblo of Sandia believes it is essential to recognize that the community policing is not about the police doing more for the community, but rather, it is about the police accomplishing more with the community. And, although we recognize that positive community relations are an important element of any police department’s efforts, we do not view community policing as being synonymous with public relations.
Therefore, our application of community policing is based on three basic concepts:
Aggressive, professional enforcement of laws
Building strong partnerships with all elements of the community as well as with other departments of the Pueblo administration
Utilizing those partnerships so as to effectively solve problems
In keeping with that perspective, SPD has worked collectively in partnerships with the Pueblo’s Social Services Department, Education Department and Tribal Court to deal with issues related to domestic violence and juvenile issues.
