Galveston Police Department Philosiphy

A definition of community-oriented policing that would best serve the City of Galveston in my view is a collaboration between the police and the community on issues that impact quality of life, and efficient and effective police service delivery that addresses root causes of crime that impact citizens and visitors to our community in a negative way.

This model of policing empowers employees, sworn and civilian, to address issues that impact their lives without the need, in many cases, to rely on the organizational hierarchy, to interact with other city departments to effectively resolve community issues outside the normal scope of police responsibility, and to develop relationships with citizens that foster trust, faith, and confidence in all that we do.

The expectation is that, as a result of our effort, relationships with stakeholders will be strengthened so that a meaningful reduction in crime can occur. Community-oriented policing is not a program, an assignment, or a short-term initiative but rather a philosophy that transcends organizational boundaries and involves sworn and civilian personnel at all ranks and in all assignments throughout the department. It is this model of policing that we've already embraced and, in which, we will train our personnel and develop policy that reflects changes in attitude, service delivery, image, and public perception.