Chief Hunt poses with the department’s chaplains
Community Policing 2.0
Monrovia PD earns accolades for layering new ideas on traditional concepts
The city of Monrovia, located east of Los Angeles, is no
stranger to community policing. For more than 20 years,
the police department has employed community-policing
strategies to attack a nagging gang problem while the
redevelopment agency has worked to revitalize blighted
areas in the city of about 36,200.
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After much progress, Monrovia was hit with a cycle of
violence in 2008 following the release of several gang
members from prison. Law enforcement, however, was
able to quickly get a handle on the problem thanks to
innovative programs that aim to curb gang activity through
intervention, prevention and suppression.
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For its various programs that fall under the umbrella
of “Operation Safe Neighborhoods,” the Monrovia Police
Department --- along with Police Chief James Hunt --- has
be en named a finalist for this year’s prestigious James Q.
Wilson Award for Excellence in Community Policing.
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Behind The Badge
?The award will be handed out at the 2012 California
PoliceChiefs Association Training Symposium in
Sacramento.
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“It’s a great honor,” said Hunt, a 21-year veteran of the
department who was named permanent chief last August.
?Several components play into Monrovia’s approach to
community policing, Hunt said.
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The Monrovia Area Partnership, launched in 2005, is seen
as the “next evolution” in community policing, Hunt said.
As part of the program, police identify and groom residents
into becoming leaders of their neighborhoods. Funds from
grants are used to upgrade properties, and neighborhood
barbecues are held to discuss issues and foster a sense of
accountability among residents to look after each other and
generate pride in where they live.
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