Police set `community engagement' events

In an effort to boost relationships with the community, the Los Gatos-monte Sereno Police Department is hosting a series of community policing initiatives throughout 2022.

The department announced last week that it will offer events like Coffee with a Cop, Walk with a Cop and the Community Police Academy to interact more with the community in “non-crisis situations.”

The first of these events,

Coffee with a Cop, was set for this past Tuesday at the Los Gatos Civic Center, where residents could meet with police officers over coffee to discuss interests, concerns and public safety insights.

Community policing is “a framework for establishing trust, exchange of information and transparency, and a positive engagement between law enforcement and the community,” the department said.

Police departments across the country are facing lack of trust from

their communities. A 2021 national Gallup poll showed about 27% of Black Americans and 56% of White Americans had confidence in the police. These numbers are up from 2020's record-low confidence rating of 48% among all Americans, marking the first time in Gallup's 27-year history that confidence dipped below 50%.

Police Chief Jamie Field took over the department amid a dispatcher shortage and several officer retirements earlier this year. She said in January that one of her top priorities as chief would be community engagement.

The department also has two golden labradoodles, Gary and JJ, for its Therapy Canine Program. The dogs promote wellness in the department, are a resource for officers and assist in the response and treatment of trauma and mental health, as well as community outreach and engagement.

The dogs will be out at several community events this year, including a session on May 16 at Venture School.

The department will offer its first classroom-style Community Police Academy this fall for residents in Los Gatos and Monte Sereno, who can participate in presentations and demonstrations to learn more about the department.

Topics include patrol operations, laws of arrest, investigations, records

processing, traffic law, communications, defensive tactics and de-escalation and supportive services. The goal is to increase education and understanding between the community and the department.

May through October, the department will host Walk with a Cop, which is modeled after the nationwide program to bring the police and community together in non-crisis situations.

“By walking through a neighborhood with community members, an officer can truly see the neighborhoods and business districts they protect and serve through the eyes and experiences of the community,” the department said in a press release. Any resident can sign up for a walk with a police officer online.