THE INDIAN HARBOUR BEACH 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 5-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!”
