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Highlands Today

Avon Park Police Department's 'Courtesy Calling' Is A Good Idea

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Highlands Today Staff

Published: June 29, 2008

As they say, a little courtesy goes a long way, especially in community policing.

These days, Avon Park police officers are doing routine business and residential property checks, and leaving behind "courtesy cards" that provide residents important phone numbers and tips for making their properties safer.

It's part of the new police chief's initiative to "have a more active role in the community as well as more awareness of criminal activity."

What it means is that the police department is helping residents identify potential security risks at their home and is letting miscreants know that an officer might just show up to look around.

It's a pretty common policing thing in other parts of the country that is not widely done in Highlands County. Some time back, a Lake Placid police officer had offered to do security assessments for businesses and homes. Other than that, we don't know of any agency that does random, property checks for the community.

Some might consider that kind of policing too nosy; others might be afraid of being caught for code violations or potential crimes that officers stumble across.

We think, overall, that "courtesy calling" is a good idea.

How many of us know the name of a patrol officer who cruises our neighborhood, and we're not talking of those who have run-ins with the law.

This gives both residents and the community a chance to know each other and establish a rapport that many-a-times is absent in communities.

It also forces officers to get out of their cruisers and actually meet the people they are supposed to serve.

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