A new initiative was started by Tampa police to interact directly and individually with the community. Known as “Signal 87 Summits,” they convened for the first time.
Sometimes a citizen will call Tampa police first, regardless of the problem or query.
“The gist of it is that we go to a lot of community meetings and sometimes the residents or the business owners or our community partners. Their questions sometimes are not for the police department,” Tampa Police Community Partnership Coordinator Jamel Michini stated.
Actually, such problem or query might be more appropriate for several other city departments, such as solid waste, mobility, or code enforcement. “Signal 87” is the police code for a community meeting, and the Tampa Police Department started a new series of community meetings called Signal 87 Summits in part because of this.
“We want to bring all the players into the room. We want to grow as a community. So, we’re bringing in the community partners, the community businesses, the community members and TPD, so that we can have the conversation to ensure that we’re working well together,” Tampa Police Community Outreach Bureau Sgt. Melanee Gardner stated.
They met for the first time on Tuesday evening in the section E Ragan Park Community Center. Five more bi-monthly meetings are scheduled for each of the six sectors into which the police department has separated the city.
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“They’re not only networking with the officers that patrol their area with the other department heads or the other department representatives that also work in their area, but they’re also networking with their neighbors,” Michini stated.
To assist with answering inquiries, representatives from every city agency were in attendance. Crime prevention and transportation issues were among the most talked-about subjects.
The sessions are intended to give residents a direct channel of communication between the police officers who patrol their communities, according to neighborhood watch groups.
“A good example is having the police join us in a community cleanup, or come out to one of our socials. I feel just building rapport and trust is key, and I think as long as we have that open communication and trust, I think everything else will fall into place,” Ybor Heights Neighborhood Association President Mimi Martinez stated.
