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**U.S. Department of Justice**        Office of Community Oriented Policing Services            145 N Street, N.E.       Washington, DC 20530      www.cops.usdoj.gov×         Menu         - Home
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**The Mesa Police Department:“Leading Through the Tough Times”**
  July 2018 | Volume 11 | Issue 7

*The COPS Office is  pleased to feature the Mesa Police Department as the July 2018 winner of the  Community Policing in Action Photo Contest. The winning photo features an  officer greeting children on his motorcycle during the Mesa Veterans Day  Parade.*

          The City of Mesa, the third largest in Arizona, is home to a  population of approximately a half  million. Located east of Phoenix,  the city’s popular highlights include Arizona State University, as well  as  the Chicago Cubs and Oakland A's  Spring Training baseball facilities. Police Chief Ramon Batista considers Mesa  a great community with relatively manageable crime and plenty of support for  law enforcement. Despite that, the Mesa  Police Department (MPD) recently hit news headlines after two videos of incidents involving police were  released to the public.

Having served with the Tucson Police Department for 31  years, Chief Batista joined Mesa just 11 months ago. In that time, he has  implemented a number of changes, including bringing more civilians into police  department positions and making improvements in technology. “In the first few  months here, I saw a department that was willing to try new things,” he shared.  “Technology-wise, they are very open.” The department is in the process of  implementing a new CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) system and every officer will  be equipped with his/ her own department- issued  cell phone. Officers will also carry business cards that include their  department cell phone numbers to be distributed during calls for service.

With 750 sworn officers and 430 civilian personnel, Batista  searches for opportunities to put professional staff into historically sworn  roles to help diversify the department. His decision to civilianize substation  leadership was met with some controversy, but in the past five months, he says  it has been successful.

Leading by example, and pushing for innovative advances  within the department, Batista is relying on the principles of community policing  to help mend relationships between residents and police. As he moves into his  second year in Mesa, Batista understands the challenges that lie ahead.  Community support for law enforcement is under threat, but he promises to fix  it.1 “My focus will be in making sure that we align our values espoused with some of  the actions that I want to see on the street,” he said. “It is so important to  me that our officers treat everyone with dignity and respect. It is very easy  to do when people are thanking officers for their service. But it is important  that we behave the same way with those that do not want to come in contact with  the police.” 

Batista plans for the department to continue its outreach  efforts with the numerous community groups in the city, while also ensuring  that the department’s youth programs include diverse groups of Mesa’s children. He wants  to giv e the youth   the opportunity to not only interact with police, but also with other children  that they never would have met otherwise. “You see kids connecting with kids  that they never would’ve had contact with and we hope they build lasting  relationships.”

          At the time this article was written, Batista was being  vetted for the executive board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the East  Valley. “I’ve seen the good that the Boys & Girls Clubs can do in some of  our impoverished areas. I want us to continue to bring kids into the clubs. I  want to have police officers go to the clubs in non-enforcement activities, and  their job is to go, after school, and mix it up with the kids. I’m funding that  with overtime. This money spent with kids is a huge investment and worthwhile.”

While community engagement is critical, Batista is also  committed to developing MPD officers and staff. Focusing internally is crucial  for the department to regain community trust, which is fragile at a time like  this. He is bringing in nationally known and respected consultants to conduct a  full review of the department and to help train officers on fair and impartial  policing. He has instituted additional courses to the academy’s basic training,  is reviewing hiring and recruiting practices, and implementing a customer  service approach to the department’s policing efforts.

“We need the guy or gal working in retail, working in the  auto parts store, because those are the people who, day in and day out, have to  deal with people,” he stressed about recruiting. “They have to provide a  service. Restaurant servers are a great example of that. I want to get those  people to join our ranks. They’re used to having to solve a problem without  having to resort to the use of authority.”

Under Batista’s leadership, the department will focus on  solving problems using communication and respect for *all* Mesa residents. “Our officers have to understand that it is all  about communication. The buzz word is ‘de-escalation,’ but I’ll be honest with  you, 30 years ago, I was trained to know that you had to talk your way out of a  problem. And that is my goal – that officers talk their way out of their  problem without resorting to their authority.”

Batista’s faith in his department and the Mesa community was  the underlying theme of his entire interview. He exuded great confidence that  the police department and the community could restore their relationship and  move forward for the greater good. “It’s a really good department. I believe  and am faithful in the good men and women of this department who put their  lives on the line every day; that go out every day and do the right thing. The  stuff that we saw is not reflective of them. I feel as though my job now is to  protect them from what we saw. That has to be rooted out. Their good work is being  stained by that. It’s a really great place to work. It’s a working class city,  but it’s a good department and a good place to work.”

The COPS Office congratulates the Mesa Police Department for  being one of the 12 winners of the COPS Office 2018 Community Policing in  Action Photo Contest and for its commitment to community policing.

*Written  with contributions from Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista. Photo courtesy of the  Mesa Police Department. *****

		    Najla Haywood		    Managing Editor		    COPS Office

References:	      1.“'We will fix this': Mesa police chief  calls for outside investigation into use of force,” AZ Central, https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa/2018/06/08/mesa-police-chief-ramon-batista-seeks-outside-investigations-into-police-excessive-force/685282002/, accessed June 13, 2018.        
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The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

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