The focus of Community Oriented Policing is problem solving. POLICE WILL STILL RESPOND TO EMERGENCIES. However, many calls to the police are not police related and are more effectively handled by other agencies. As the number of non-emergency calls decrease, benefits to citizens increase.

• Officers are able to spend more time working with citizens to solve crime and disorder problems.
   
• With better police-citizen communication, officers can more effectively use and share crime information with the public.
   
• Officers who know both a community?s problems and its residents can link people with other public and private agencies that can help solve community concerns.
   
• No single agency can solve complex social problems alone. A combined community-police effort restores the safety of our neighborhoods and business districts.

Examples of Community Oriented Policing in San Diego

• A revitalized Neighborhood Watch program consisting on community coordinators, watch coordinators and block captains all working toward a common goal.
   
• Citizen's Patrol groups throughout the City acting as eyes and ears to observe suspicious activity and eliminate problems.
   
• Safe Streets NOW! working to get rid of nuisance properties through civil remedies.
   
• The Drug Abatement Response Team (DART) involves the City Attorney, Housing Inspection and the police in identifying properties that have a long history of ongoing narcotic activities. In a six-month period, over 70 drug houses were targeted for abatement action.