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A Publication Featuring The Information
Services Technology of Maine State Government
| Volume VII, Issue 5 | May 2004 |
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The Maine Community Policing Institute (MCPI) is a division of The University of Maine at Augusta (UMA). Originally funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services in 1997, MCPI has evolved into a self-sustaining organization through the support of the Maine State Legislature and the Maine Judicial Branch. The mission of MCPI is to further the practices and philosophy of community policing, with a focus on building community/public safety agency partnerships for problem solving. MCPI is positioned as a central resource for neighborhoods, communities, and law enforcement agencies in the dissemination of Community Policing information.
Community Policing is a significant part of combating crime and improving the quality of life in Maine's cities, towns, and rural areas. Core components of Community Policing include partnering with the community; problem solving; and transforming policing agencies to support and empower frontline officers, decentralize command, and encourage innovative problem solving. Today, communities across Maine, and the United States, are actively engaged in Community Policing. Community Policing, in fact, has become the dominant strategy in contemporary law enforcement.
The MCPI web site has a new and powerful resource available to citizens and law enforcement to promote the sharing of safety and crime prevention. This Community Safety Center is an in-depth educational portal through which visitors can view safety and crime prevention offerings. It showcases the utilization of the latest technology in terms of access to the Internet and advanced instructional material design. Topics within the Safety Center include: Community Policing, Terrorism Awareness, Elder Abuse, Financial Exploitation (of seniors), and General Crime Prevention topics such as Bicycle Safety, Underage Drinking/Driving, and Alcohol Abuse. Interested individuals who wish to access this site can do so at http://www.be-safe.org/me/mcpi/.
Through engaging in problem solving partnerships, police and citizens can enhance their ability to protect the communities in which they live and work. Key benefits in Community Policing participation include a reduction in crime and fear of crime; reducing the calls for police service; increasing public confidence in and support for law enforcement; and increasing citizen participation and involvement in local problem solving. The Community Safety Center serves to maximize positive community contact and paves the way for heightened communications between the agency and the public. With a constantly increasing use of the Internet, this new opportunity engages the community while enabling better understanding of important information.
MCPI encourages everyone to learn more about Community Policing in Maine. Working together we can achieve our motto of "Building Safer Communities Through Education". We welcome inquiries about the many services offered to police agencies, service providers, business organizations, community leaders, and the citizens of Maine.
For more information about MCPI's programs and services, and/or to be placed on our mailing list to receive our bi-monthly newsletter Community Policing Across Maine, please contact us at:
Maine Community
Policing Institute
University of
Maine at Augusta
46 University
Drive ∙ Augusta, ME 04330
Tel: (207)
621-3478
Fax: (207)
621-3301
Email:
mcpi@maine.edu
