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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 Orlando (FL) Police Department:“Mission to Connect with the Community”**
  September 2018 | Volume 11 | Issue 9

*The COPS Office is pleased to feature the Orlando (FL) Police Department as the September 2018 winner of the Community Policing in Action Photo Contest. The winning photo features Officer Ravene Brinkley painting a girl’s nails during the police department’s community barbeque several days after Hurricane Irma struck the area.*

The city of Orlando is nicknamed  “City Beautiful,” but it may be better known as the “Theme Park Capital of the  World” for its globally recognized tourism industry. Located in the heart of  central Florida, Orlando is home to about 275,000 residents, and the city’s famous  tourist attractions and events draw in approximately 72 million visitors per  year.

With such a high service  population, the Orlando Police  Department (OPD) must ensure proper staffing levels to maintain the public  safety of both the residents and tourists. Chief John Mina oversees the  department of 800 sworn officers and 229 civilian staffers. Although the city  is a major tourist stop, Chief Mina explains that, “Orlando is a normal city,  like any other city, with a very diverse community.”

As the most visited destination in  the U.S., one would think OPD would not have the time or capabilities to engage  with the residents.1 However, OPD goes above and beyond to ensure that the community  feels the department’s presence. “We can’t do it all by ourselves, and we are  counting on the community to help us out – to look for crime and prevent crime,  and they won’t do that unless they trust us.”

The OPD’s commitment to the  residents is evident through its many community engagement activities and  mentoring programs. For example, the winning photo was taken during one of the  police department’s quarterly barbeque events. This particular barbeque was  planned in the wake of Hurricane Irma and provided relief to residents who were  struggling without power or meals. The candid moment shows an officer painting  a young girl’s nails – a moment of levity in otherwise trying times. “I thought  it was the perfect example of our law enforcement’s engagement with the  community,” stated Chief Mina.

When discussing the OPD’s community  activities, such as the barbeque, it was apparent how much passion and  commitment goes into these programs. Coffee with a Cop, Teen Police and Fire  Academy, Operation Positive Direction, Ballin’ After Dark and Dueling Dragons  Orlando are some of the other multitude of programs that provide opportunities  for engagement.

“Dueling Dragons of Orlando” might sound more  like a theme park ride instead of a mentoring program, but, this program  provides a special experience for both the at-risk youth and the officers  involved. Officers and teens join together to form a “cops and kids” boat in  order to participate in local, regional and national dragon boating  competitions.

“It really breaks down barriers,”  states Chief Mina, “The kids stand around and think ‘the officers don’t care,’  until they realize that officers are actually getting in the boat with them,  out of uniform, in shorts and a t-shirt.”

The police department’s involvement  in these types of activities provide the officers and the residents with the  opportunities to create a relationship outside of patrolling the beat. “A lot  of officers volunteer to come out and engage with the citizens in a  non-enforcement way. It’s a different way to interact with the community.”

The extra effort that officers put in  to positively impacting the neighborhoods they patrol is highlighted and  promoted on social media, and “seeing the reaction from the community, it  really motivates the officers and keeps morale up.”

“There really is a theme, or mission,  to connect with our community,” Chief Mina emphasized. “Our officers just ‘get  it.’ We aren’t just driving around with our windows up, we actually get out of  our police cars.”

The COPS Office congratulates the  Orlando 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 Orlando Police Chief John Mina. Photo courtesy of the  Orlando Police Department.*

Madeleine Smith          COPS Office

References:			1.“A  Weekend In Orlando,” Forbes, July 1, 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/ambergibson/2018/07/01/a-weekend-in-orlando/#2f7562672905

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

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