Police Talk Compstat with Neighborhood Associations
The White Plains Department of Public Safety is using every method available to help ensure the streets of White Plains are safe.
On Tuesday, Lt. Kevin Christopher of the White Plains Police spoke at the March meeting of the White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations at the Education House on Homeside Lane.
Christopher, the public safety department’s liaison for neighborhood associations, has been with the department since 1979, working in various departments before his current position.
At the meeting, Christopher talked about CompStat, a method of policing developed by former New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton that many credit with successfully reducing crime in New York in the 1990s. Many police departments have used CompStat across the country.
CompStat involves a statistical summary of crime in the city and through regular meetings with departments, allows police to know what they should be looking out for and when and where.
“It’s one of our biggest tools in reducing crime,” Christopher said. “The cops know what incidents are happening in neighborhoods and keep them up to date. We try to resolve problems. Everyone gets involved in fighting crime in our department.”
Christopher said that shoplifting has become a big problem in White Plains, with most incidents not committed by White Plains residents.
“It’s sticking in our craw,” Christopher said. “Ninety percent of shoplifters are not White Plains residents. We’ve done advertising with retailers about the issue. We keep working on that.”
White Plains Public Safety officials are also involved with mental health outreach and crisis intervention. A third of police officers are trained in crisis intervention and the department works regularly with a county social worker.
“Cops will use certain tools to de-escalate situations,” Christopher said. “Cops take their time and many times can talk these things out. We intervene in the lives of people who may be considered emotionally disturbed.”
Christopher said the police department does their best to work with homeless people and other people struggling with problems.
“We’re social workers with guns,” Christopher said. “It’s not just about catching robbers. It’s a nice way to work.”
Christopher said the department is always staying on top of current data and new methods of policing.
“We’re always training, always updating and always changing,” Christopher said.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.