Neighborhood Police Officers (NPO) play an important role in the city of Garland. There is a dedicated NPO for each area in Garland. According to the city’s website that officer identifies crime trends and problems and works to find strategies to address them.
Program history:
This program, in some form, has existed since 1993 when the city created a community police program. It was called the Neighborhood Service Team and was originally created for only certain neighborhoods. The concept was a success and the program eventually grew to include the whole city. The name was changed to the Neighborhood Police Officer Unit. It currently consists of two Neighborhood Police Officer Lieutenants and 16 officers.
The city’s website lists the officers’ duties and responsibilities as:
- Work with Crime Watch groups, Apartment Managers, Neighborhood Associations, and other community groups within the area. The NPO will be the primary contact for these groups, providing information about ongoing crime trends, soliciting help from the community in solving problems in their neighborhoods, and encouraging and assisting neighborhoods in banding together to work with the police toward a common goal.
- Identify specific crime trends within the area, formulate a strategy for addressing the offenses, coordinate and participate in the solution.
- Identify and respond to specific problems within the neighborhood including repeat call locations, ongoing neighborhood disturbances, and deteriorating conditions that contribute to the overall decline of the neighborhood.
- The NPO will also use high visibility enforcement, abatement procedures, and seizure processes to disrupt the proceeds and lifestyle of their criminal enterprise.
In addition to these primary duties, the NPO Unit promotes several community programs and services.
It’s a great idea to get to know your Neighborhood Police Officer. That officer knows your neighborhood and has the ability to help with a wide range of issues as described above.
In addition, each officer works in their assigned area with patrol officers, other city employees, Garland ISD, business owners and citizens.
Contact:
For more information, call or email your NPO or call 972-485-4881. Their phone numbers are not textable cell phones.
View map/contact info of your NPO (PDF)
Information provided by city of Garland.