20th Anniversary Photo Contest – June Winner
The COPS Office is pleased to feature the June 2015 winner of the Community Policing in Action Photo Contest—the Greenville (North Carolina) Police Department. Their winning photo features Interim Chief Ted Sauls hanging out—literally—with local youth during the 2014 National Night Out.
Greenville is a city located in the eastern region of North Carolina, just inland of the coast. With a population of just more than 89,000, the city is home to Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (ECU). The community is largely Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic, but the area has seen recent growth in its African and Burmese populations.
Led by Interim Chief Ted Sauls, the Greenville Police Department “exists to enhance public safety and quality of life, in partnership with all people in the community, by preventing crime with honor and integrity.”1 As part of its mission to enhance public safety, the department places great emphasis on its recruitment efforts. Having a police force that is diverse and represents the community it serves is a priority for Sauls. In addition, the department values the perspectives of its civilian employees, who make up about a quarter of the force. With more than 240 employees, some of the sworn positions were converted into civilian positions to allow for a more diverse workforce and better connection with the community. Sauls said the department’s public information officer (PIO) position had been converted to a civilian position, and the results have been extremely positive. Kristen Hunter, who serves as PIO, has been integral in increasing the department’s transparency through the use of press and social media.
In an effort to enhance community engagement, the Greenville Police Department has hosted National Night Out events for many years, but most recently it has shifted its focus from having the community attend the department’s event to the department attending the community’s events. Instead of having a National Night Out event at the town commons, more than 20 Greenville neighborhoods host their own events, and members of the department visit multiple sites during the evening. In partnership with a local church, the department has been able to provide $500 per neighborhood to help with the costs of food and supplies.
“National Night Out is to take control of the neighborhood,” said Sauls. “Our community has embraced that.”
In the featured photo, Sauls hangs from the monkey bars after owning up to a dare he received from the young boys in the photo. He says he was drawn to them when he realized that they were the only kids playing outside on the playground while all of the other kids were busy playing in the 18-wheeler gaming truck sponsored by the department. “They started prodding me, and they didn’t think I would do it,” he laughed. Though he has more than 18 years of experience in law enforcement in Greenville, having interned for the police department during his undergraduate tenure at ECU, and was at the event with local dignitaries, including the mayor and council members, Sauls took on the dare. “My goal is to bring the comic relief.”
During a time when police are being scrutinized by the public, events like National Night Out are so important, not only for communities but also for the officers themselves. “We have to put ourselves out there a lot more now,” said Sauls. While National Night Out is an important night for Greenville, Sauls makes sure that officers don’t stop there. “We have a lot of programs for youth year round. We have PAL [the Police Athletic League] and the Citizens Youth Academy. We also have officers participate in the Civics Liaison Program, which assigns an officer to area neighborhoods and schools that request it. Former Chief [Hassan] Aden started the Adopt a School program where our officers go into public and private schools and interact with the students. It’s about interacting with them so they see we’re on their level.”
The COPS Office congratulates the Greenville Police Department for being one of 12 winners of the COPS Office Community Policing in Action Photo Contest and for its commitment to community policing.
Written with contributions from Interim Chief Ted Sauls and Kristen Hunter, Public Information Officer. Photo courtesy of the Greenville Police Department.
Najla Haywood
Special Contributor
The COPS Office
References
1 Greenville Police Department website, accessed April 21, 2015, http://www.greenvillenc.gov/government/police.June Photo Contest Winner | 2015 COPS Solicitations | Front Porch Parcel Theft | Redefining Police-Youth Relationships | Community Engagement and Partnership Building