Rock County Sheriff Mike Winkels, pictured in the law enforcment center with Dispatch Supervisor Terri Ebert, said he's pleased so far with the outcome of community policing.By Sara StrongAt this time last year, city and county boards were debating the merits of hiring professionals to help local law enforcement convert to a community oriented style of policing.Now, Sheriff Mike Winkels says it was a good decision to make the move."The training is almost done, but community policing will be here forever," Winkels said.As a sheriff in his fifth month of office, Winkels said the department has undergone changes besides what is going on with community policing.A new investigator, an all-purpose dog, a retiring sergeant and two new deputies mean the department is transforming itself as it changes philosophically.Winkels said the changes happening along with community policing help keep enthusiasm high.The concept of community policing isn’t a new one, even though it’s fairly new to Rock County. Winkels said some aspects of the department were in sync with community policing before the training started.Community policing emphasizes a strong relationship between officers and the public and focuses on problem solving, rather than purely crime enforcement.Training Director with the Upper Midwest Community Policing Institute, Bill Micklus, said the new training is already taking shape. "People are already doing things and we’ve seen positive changes already," Micklus said.During the training sessions, Micklus said he hears success stories from officers.He describes implementing new ideas in a sheriff’s department as getting a wheel spinning. He adds momentum with each training, and soon the department has enough to continue on its own after the education piece is complete.Although Micklus won’t be spending much time in Rock County after the community policing training is complete, he said he’ll check in periodically and support the department."During our time there, we’ve found ourselves to feel like a part of the community and, within the sheriff’s department, like a part of them," Micklus said.Change of heartWinkels said the administrative changes he’ll make as sheriff won’t necessarily be as visible as the results."A year ago, drugs were a big issue; they still are a big issue. There are still thefts around town and [the thieves] are there to get money for drugs," Winkels said.Public information on drugs and home security are a part of what the department can do to proactively address these crime issues.The Rock County Sheriff’s Department is also working on a link for the county Web site, which will include an updated warrant list and educational materials that are difficult to get out to the public. Winkels said he looks forward to being able to change to what the public wants.He plans to host a Citizens Academy sometime in the fall that he hopes will draw interested people to work for the Sheriff’s Department as a sort of reserve unit. The reserves can help with prisoner transports to jail, parades, fairs or serve as bailiffs. The Citizens Academy will be an informational meeting that explains the logistics of law enforcement, including legal issues. Micklus said much of what can be done in the Sheriff’s Department to become more community-oriented in its policing is skills rather than actual duty changes."The good service up front will not only make people feel good about that contact, but cause them to call again and help again without you having to ask for it," Micklus said.He said the department will not only get the job of policing done, but do it in a fulfilling way that’s good for everyone.He understands the issue of a few officers covering an entire county. "You can’t get 15 people out of 10," he said. "But with the right support, we can have 10,000."Part of the changes that have to happen to make community policing real are already in place. The department drafted a mission statement, which gets goals on paper and makes all employees aware of them.Most important, Winkels said he wants his department to be a close-working unit. "I’m open to the guys and listening to what they think."The philosophy of community policingThe Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI wrote a report on community policing when it was first developed in the early 1980s.The report said in part, "police organizations that have been engaged in community policing and problem solving for at least three years are receiving an 85 percent increase in information and a 50 percent increase of intelligence information compared to traditional police practices."Implementing community policing means open communication with the public, frequent exchange among units within the agency and ongoing communication and networking with other public and non-profit agencies.It advocates less random patrol time and more committed use of officer time. The Upper Midwest Policing Institute said that patrolling doesn’t encourage citizen cooperation or make deputies approachable.Again, the philosophy is to problem solve rather than merely be visible and hope to catch crime as it happens during patrols.Community policing also allows officers to make decisions, take risks and then stand behind the decisions they make. Officers will have accountability to following up with crime victims and crime prevention.When involving the public in community policing, it can be as much as neighborhood watches or as little as more open communications.
