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THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT
The motto of the Indian Harbour Beach Police Department, We
serve…we care!” certainly says it all. Comprised of nineteen
sworn officers, seven civilian personnel and three crossing guards,
the members of the department serve our citizens with dedication
and pride, to ensure a safe community. Of the more than 5,000 calls
the officers respond to each year, fewer than 16% of those are
criminal in nature. Normal response time is within 2 to 3 minutes.
Our five marked patrol cars are fully outfitted with a variety of
equipment. Aside from the normal radios and emergency lights, they
carry resuscitators, automatic external defibrillators (AED’s),
first aid kits and other emergency equipment. Video equipment and
radar units are also in each car, along with the latest computers
and software to enable the officers to access federal and state
information systems from their vehicles.
All officers are issued first grade armor protection vests in
addition to their uniforms, weapons, leather equipment, portable
radios, flashlights and other items to help make them more
proficient in their tasks. Drug forfeiture funds secured through
the efforts of our officers have enabled us to build and equip a
police physical fitness and firearms training facility in one wing
of the Community Services Center. The firearms training unit is a
computer operated laser system (FATS) designed to make our officers
more proficient in judgmental shooting techniques and to upgrade
their range of shooting skills. Our officers continually attend the
latest schools and courses offered in their field as well as
regular college courses, if they desire.
Some of the community-oriented programs instituted by our police
department include:
Operation House Call – Residents can call an officer to come to
their home to speak to their own family members and/or friends, to
have their questions answered on a one-to-one basis, and to get to
know our officers up close and in person.
One of our communications officers maintains a list of disabled or
elderly persons who desire or need periodic contact just to check
on their well being, or who might require emergency evacuation.
House checks are provided by our officers, when requested by
residents who leave the city for extended periods of time.
Our officers distribute stuffed animals to youngsters involved in
traumatic situations, to reassure or comfort them and to help them
cope with stressful times.
A special holiday cheer program instituted by our Police Department
ensures that each year during the holidays, those less-fortunate
senior citizens or families with children in our community receive
gifts, food, necessities, clothing, decorated trees and cards
through the generosity of the police officers and other employees,
citizens, businesses and local school children.
Programs at our local neighborhood school, Ocean Breeze Elementary,
e.g. the 8-week, anti-drug program (SPECDA) directed toward 4th and
5th graders, bicycle safety programs, and special
lectures/presentations upon request.
Through the various programs mentioned above, interchanges that
occur between our police offices and our residents help to create a
better understanding of each other’s expectations of their roles in
the community; and each and every officer truly lives the
Department’s motto, “We serve…we care!”
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