West Vancouver police offer ‘E-Policing’ to residents
Photo from http://flickr.com/photos/rog45/2220328952/
West Vancouver police have launched a new interactive website designed to increase the flow of information between the force and residents.The site, which was launched on Friday, includes reviews of cold-case murder investigations, mug shots of wanted criminals and electronic feedback forms so people can comment on their experiences with police and civilian staff.
The 44,000 residents of West Vancouver can also sign up for “E-Policing” to receive electronic newsletters about crime activities, trends and prevention via e-mail, police said.
“This was our way of connecting more so than we ever have in the past with the larger community,” West Vancouver Police Chief Kash Heed said of the website, which he estimates cost the force less than $10,000.
“It’s not about just seeing a police officer on the streets, it’s connecting from a BlackBerry or a laptop.”
About 900 people are already being e-mailed lists of crime statistics through the city’s block watch program, but now the same information will be presented graphically using new mapping software, Cpl. Fred Harding, a spokesman for the force, said.
And in a month or so, Google Earth is expected to be integrated into the mailings so residents can see crime statistics coordinated with satellite images of West Vancouver, Harding said.
“When Kash Heed took over last year, this department was in the dark ages in many ways,” Harding said.
“Our old website was stale, and the way we communicate through our website is vital to how we look and how we operate.”
The revamped site was modelled partly after the Los Angeles police department’s, which also includes the E-Policing model, Harding said.
West Vancouver police have also begun posting jobs for both policing and civilian positions on the website, along with information on how to apply, in hopes of attracting “the very best candidates” in every possible way, Harding said.
A similar move by Vancouver police early this year resulted in “a dramatic increase in applications,” said Howard Chow, a recruiter for Vancouver’s force.
The website can be found at www.wvpd.ca