The Arlington Police Department was selected as a Finalist for the 2016 Herman Goldstein Award for Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing for the organization's work on the Walmart Restorative Justice Initiative. This recognition was given during the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing Conference in Tempe, Arizona on October 26, 2016.
Assistant Police Chief Kevin Kolbye and Sergeant Jakisha Jones were on hand to accept the award on behalf of the department and citizens of Arlington. Together, they presented a program that has significantly improved the department's response to property crimes at the three Walmart retailer locations throughout the city. The Walmart Restorative Justice Initiative is a collaborative partnership between APD and Walmart Corporation.
The goal is to reduce criminal offenses and the overall police hours expended responding to calls for service and arrests. The department networked with Walmart executives which resulted in the development of an 8-step approach, designed to shift the loss-prevention focus from apprehension to prevention. In an 12-month period, this approach resulted in a 43% reduction in calls for police service, a 60% reduction in theft and shoplifting arrests, and the savings of 5,000 resource hours of police time.
"Our partnership with Walmart has added value to our community and has also helped with restorative justice efforts. Through this program, first time offenders have an opportunity to choose a better path," said Police Chief Will Johnson. "I am extremely proud of our team for coming up with new approaches to reducing crime, recidivism, and forging stronger relationships with our major retailers."
Click HERE to view a video that highlights the Walmart Restorative Justice Initiative.
First introduced in 1993, The Herman Goldstein Award recognizes outstanding police officers and police agencies, both in the United States and around the world, that engage in innovative and effective problem-solving efforts and achieve measurable success in reducing specific crime, disorder, and public safety problems. This international competition is named after the founder of problem-oriented policing, University of Wisconsin emeritus Professor Herman Goldstein and administered by the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing.
The Center for Problem-Oriented Policing assembled a panel of seven judges, made up of experienced researchers and practitioners, who selected the winner and a small number of finalists from among award submissions. Submissions typically come from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The judges considered a number of factors in their selection, including the depth of problem analysis, the development of clear and realistic response goals, the use of relevant measures of effectiveness, and the involvement of citizens and other community resources in problem resolution.
Police agencies whose projects successfully resolve any type of recurring community problem that resulted in crime or disorder are eligible to compete for the award.
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