Citizens On Patrol  

The Mission of the CoP program is "To perform crime watch activities that alert the Sheriff's Office of hazards and unlawful behavior; and, when required, to assist Sheriff's Office personnel in the performance of his or her duties."

A major component of Neighborhood Policing is the establishment of partnerships with the community. Citizens on Patrol is a service which illustrates the benefits of the Sheriff's community cooperative effort. Crime reduction and prevention must be a collaborative effort between law enforcement and members of the community. The CoP program allows residents to participate directly in the enhancement of our communities' safety and security.

Implementation of Neighborhood Policing has had a positive impact on crime and has significantly reduced response time for emergency and non-emergency calls. An added benefit of the Neighborhood Policing concept is the smaller patrol areas which gives communities a better sense of safety through increased visibility of marked patrol units.

An extension to this is a method of involving the community in patrolling its own area. The basic premise of this type of community patrolling is residents must assist law enforcement officials in the fight against crime. This concept is demonstrated by the active participation of residents who serve as additional eyes and ears for Sheriff's deputies. By their visibility in specially marked vehicles and constant presence, the citizens' patrols serve as a strong deterrent to unlawful actions. In those areas in which CoP patrols are visible, there has been a noticeable reduction in crime rates. Considerable credit for this has been attributed to the presence of the motorized community patrols plus the vigilance of individual patrol members.

The CoP program is assigned to Seminole Neighborhood Policing (SNP) and coordinated by the Special Projects Coordinator. There are currently about 150 active CoPs in Seminole County. Once accepted into the program, members are assigned to a district under the operational command of a District Lieutenant. District Coordinators are appointed by the Special Projects Coordinator and drawn from existing members of the CoP program. These individuals are used to coordinate the efforts of the CoP volunteers in each district.