Pontiac Police Department & Oakland County CLEMIS Launch New Community Policing Web Site
Maps detailing local crime activities available online for the first time
Pontiac, Michigan, October 6, 2004 -- The Pontiac Police Department launched a new Web site today in conjunction with Oakland County and the CLEMIS (Courts and Law Enforcement Management Information System) consortium. The new site is focused on community-oriented policing, and includes information aimed at helping local residents participate in crime prevention activities.
"Community-oriented policing is based on establishing a partnership between police officers and citizens, in order to proactively reduce crime instead of reacting to crime after it occurs. The key to crime prevention is our strength together," said Pontiac Chief of Police Rollie Gackstetter.
The new Pontiac Police Web site (http://www.pontiacpolice.com) provides maps with pinpoints detailing recent crime activities, updated weekly. These local crime statistics are being made available online to residents for the first time.
The primary goals of the site are to empower citizens with information and to improve communication between local neighborhood watch groups and the Pontiac Police Department. By providing information online via their Web site, the Pontiac Police Department also hopes to reduce the number of officers assigned to answer routine telephone inquiries, putting more officers back onto street patrols.
"Here in Pontiac, there is a renewed focus on strategies that help prevent crime, reduce the fear of crime, and improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods," said Chief Gackstetter. "This new Web site will help us broaden the involvement of residents in community policing, and will further allow the Pontiac Police to deliver services the citizens want."
Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said, "Oakland County's Department of Information Technology and CLEMIS are proud to deliver the technology and support necessary to enable the Pontiac Police Department to launch this Web site in order to deliver these services. We believe that putting information into the hands of local residents will help to make a difference in neighborhood safety. The benefits of Pontiac's community policing efforts will extend beyond local boundaries, to improve the quality of life for everyone in Oakland County." This is a pilot project for Oakland County and CLEMIS, which will subsequently roll-out the Web program to potentially all CLEMIS-member police departments.
"These are the types of outstanding partnerships that revive, renew and prosper communities beyond anyone's imagination," said Mayor Willie W. Payne. "We're moving to cover all bases of involvement and on every level to bring peace and safety to our residents."
Citizens can use the new Web site to look up statistics on reported crimes, organized by City Council district. The site also includes answers to commonly asked questions on topics such as abandoned or impounded vehicles, police reports, and community services offered by the Pontiac Police Department. Information about upcoming police auctions, the Police Athletic League, and the Pontiac Junior Police Magnet Academy is also available on the site.
The Pontiac Police Department is committed to protecting life and property, responding to community needs, and promoting peace through positive interaction within the community.
Developed and supported by Oakland County, CLEMIS is state-of-the-art computer technology used by criminal justice and public safety agencies throughout Southeastern Michigan. By serving as a technical link among multiple agencies, CLEMIS promotes communication and sharing of criminal justice information.
The Pontiac Police Web site is a pilot project developed by CLEMIS (http://www.clemis.org) and Oakland County's eGovernment Group (http://www.co.oakland.mi.us/egov/). Find out more about Oakland County's online resources and its Department of Information Technology at http://www.co.oakland.mi.us.
For media inquiries only, please contact Sgt. William Ware, Pontiac Police Department, at 248-758-3470.
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