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4.A. - Page 5 of 98 <br />Existing Community Policing and Partnerships with Community, Non -Profit and Social Service <br />Organizations <br />The Police Department provides public safety services in partnership with the Redwood City <br />community. This partnership is built upon familiarity and trust forged through several decades of <br />very intentional community engagement. The Department's robust community engagement <br />endeavors include: <br />• A strong social media presence on multiple popular platforms; <br />• Facebook pages offered in both English and Spanish; <br />• Spanish and English language citizen police academy programs; <br />• Participation in the annual Redwood City / San Mateo County holiday toy and book drive, <br />• Outreach to youth through the Police Activities League, the Police Explorer program and <br />the Redwood City police youth academy; <br />• Hosting monthly Coffee with the Cops events in both English and Spanish; <br />• Participating in the annual National Night Out event; <br />• Partnering with Neighborhood Associations to offer neighborhood watch presentations; <br />• Utilizing community members in Volunteers in Police Service (VIPs) program to support <br />cultural events and festivals; <br />• Serving the City's homeless population through the Police Department's Homeless <br />Outreach Team in partnership with other local social service agencies; and <br />• Providing support to families through programs offered by Juvenile Services Unit, <br />including the parent project program, family interventions, gang awareness <br />presentations, the crossing limits anti -bullying presentations and juvenile diversion. <br />Several community members expressed concern over police interactions in situations of domestic <br />violence, mental health crisis, and homelessness. As the recent community dialogue sessions <br />focused primarily on listening to community members, staff did not present information about <br />current practices; however, understanding current practices is important as the City Council <br />considers future efforts. <br />The Police Department proactively works to prevent domestic violence through family supportive <br />education and outreach programs such as the Parent Proiect parenting classes, juvenile <br />counseling and support services through our Juvenile Specialist, and the Police Activities League <br />(PAL). PAL receives limited City funding, and operates as an independent non-profit community <br />organization, with its own governing board and Executive Director. Additionally, the Police <br />Department works closely with social and mental health support service organizations to provide <br />survivors of family violence with needed resources. This begins immediately upon police <br />involvement in a family violence incident by connecting affected individuals with CORA <br />(Communities Overcoming Relationship Abuse) representatives for immediate counseling, <br />housing, and financial support. On-going assistance is offered through the District Attorney's <br />Victim Support Unit, mental health services through County Behavioral and Health Recovery <br />Services, and long-term protective and violence prevention support through the County Adult <br />Threat Assessment Team. <br />Page 5 of 17 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.ore <br />