“The police are the public and the public are the police; the police being the only members of the public who are paid to give full time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.” Sir Robert Peel
OK... so what?
Well, in addition to being a practicing law enforcement professional in the early 1800s, Sir Robert Peel was a great thinker. As he reflected on what it meant to police a community, or to provide for its welfare, it occurred to him that the foundation of policing a community is based in all citizens having a role and a degree of responsibility in that endeavor (“...the public are the police...”). Peel also recognized however, that there are incidents and circumstances that occur, even in civilized societies, where average citizens could not reasonably be expected to intervene. In such circumstances, individuals with specialized training, skills and tools - the police - could respond.
So, who exactly are the police? If one thoughtfully considers Sir Robert Peel’s quote, the answer lies therein (“The police are the public...”). The police are of the people. They come from the very society or community in which they are serving. This was true during Sir Robert Peel’s time, and remains true today.
How does this all relate to the here and now in Chico? Well first, its a well known fact of course that Chico has a police department. What sometimes seems to be missing from prevalent awareness is the fact that the Department is made up of citizens who actually come from the greater Chico community; citizens who not only work here, but also live here, shop here and have kids who go to school here; citizens who are fully invested and have a stake in the community’s overall well being. They are also citizens who, as police employees, are well trained, well equipped and take great pride in serving as police professionals in the City of Chico.
But such is not the point of this piece...
The real point, the essence of my message, is the end of Peel's quote: “...duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.” As I previously noted, Peel’s perspective was that this citizen responsibility for the welfare of a community lies with everyone who is a part of that community. Emphasis of this thought is the real point of my message.
Chico is a growing community. We struggle with whether or not we should call ourselves a town or a city. The truth is, if you consider the Chico one can view from overhead in an airplane, we are a city of well over 100,000 people. Additionally, we have tens of thousands of visitors who come here every week to further their educations, to seek medical treatment, to engage in commerce, to work and for recreation. We also regularly experience our own share of "big city" crime - those things that would be unheard of in the Chico of years past.
Unfortunately, with the growth experienced by the City, the Police Department, for a variety of reasons, has not been able to experience proportional growth. I wouldn't be so bold as to suggest that if the Police Department had grown historically at the same rate as the City we would have no crime. But, there is no question it would be different if we had. The fact is we didn't, and that's the way it is.
Now, we are in the midst of a local, state and national economic crisis that has caused governments everywhere, including Chico, to tighten their fiscal belts. The result is that any plans we may have had to catch the Police Department up to the growth in the community have to be scrapped for now. That being the case, together we must figure out the best way to police our community and keep it safe.
Said simply, your police department can’t do it all. We need your help. Every citizen in Chico needs to be willing to step up to the plate and assume some responsibility in providing for our collective well-being. This is actually pretty easy to do. Such things as locking the doors of your cars or your homes when you are away from them may eliminate an opportunity for a thief. In other cases, being attentive and willing to call the police when observing suspicious conduct can be helpful. In yet other cases, the courage to act as a formal witness for the police by making a statement or identifying a suspect can mean the difference between a crook being arrested or going free.
With this message, as your Chief of Police, I am asking all who live in or visit Chico for whatever reason to live out those thoughts of Sir Robert Peel; please give conscious consideration to fulfilling those “...duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.” And I will remind you and continue to promote awareness of these ideas by periodically asking rhetorically:
What have YOU done to make Chico safe today?
Thank you for the opportunity to be your Chief of Police and to be part of providing for the safety of this great community!
OK... so what?
Well, in addition to being a practicing law enforcement professional in the early 1800s, Sir Robert Peel was a great thinker. As he reflected on what it meant to police a community, or to provide for its welfare, it occurred to him that the foundation of policing a community is based in all citizens having a role and a degree of responsibility in that endeavor (“...the public are the police...”). Peel also recognized however, that there are incidents and circumstances that occur, even in civilized societies, where average citizens could not reasonably be expected to intervene. In such circumstances, individuals with specialized training, skills and tools - the police - could respond.
So, who exactly are the police? If one thoughtfully considers Sir Robert Peel’s quote, the answer lies therein (“The police are the public...”). The police are of the people. They come from the very society or community in which they are serving. This was true during Sir Robert Peel’s time, and remains true today.
How does this all relate to the here and now in Chico? Well first, its a well known fact of course that Chico has a police department. What sometimes seems to be missing from prevalent awareness is the fact that the Department is made up of citizens who actually come from the greater Chico community; citizens who not only work here, but also live here, shop here and have kids who go to school here; citizens who are fully invested and have a stake in the community’s overall well being. They are also citizens who, as police employees, are well trained, well equipped and take great pride in serving as police professionals in the City of Chico.
But such is not the point of this piece...
The real point, the essence of my message, is the end of Peel's quote: “...duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.” As I previously noted, Peel’s perspective was that this citizen responsibility for the welfare of a community lies with everyone who is a part of that community. Emphasis of this thought is the real point of my message.
Chico is a growing community. We struggle with whether or not we should call ourselves a town or a city. The truth is, if you consider the Chico one can view from overhead in an airplane, we are a city of well over 100,000 people. Additionally, we have tens of thousands of visitors who come here every week to further their educations, to seek medical treatment, to engage in commerce, to work and for recreation. We also regularly experience our own share of "big city" crime - those things that would be unheard of in the Chico of years past.
Unfortunately, with the growth experienced by the City, the Police Department, for a variety of reasons, has not been able to experience proportional growth. I wouldn't be so bold as to suggest that if the Police Department had grown historically at the same rate as the City we would have no crime. But, there is no question it would be different if we had. The fact is we didn't, and that's the way it is.
Now, we are in the midst of a local, state and national economic crisis that has caused governments everywhere, including Chico, to tighten their fiscal belts. The result is that any plans we may have had to catch the Police Department up to the growth in the community have to be scrapped for now. That being the case, together we must figure out the best way to police our community and keep it safe.
Said simply, your police department can’t do it all. We need your help. Every citizen in Chico needs to be willing to step up to the plate and assume some responsibility in providing for our collective well-being. This is actually pretty easy to do. Such things as locking the doors of your cars or your homes when you are away from them may eliminate an opportunity for a thief. In other cases, being attentive and willing to call the police when observing suspicious conduct can be helpful. In yet other cases, the courage to act as a formal witness for the police by making a statement or identifying a suspect can mean the difference between a crook being arrested or going free.
With this message, as your Chief of Police, I am asking all who live in or visit Chico for whatever reason to live out those thoughts of Sir Robert Peel; please give conscious consideration to fulfilling those “...duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.” And I will remind you and continue to promote awareness of these ideas by periodically asking rhetorically:
What have YOU done to make Chico safe today?
Thank you for the opportunity to be your Chief of Police and to be part of providing for the safety of this great community!
