US Justice Department Likes Rockland's Public Safety Initiative

NEW CITY, NY - The U.S. Department of Justice finds Rockland County's approach to public safety a promising one.

Rockland County District Attorney's Office officials said in an announcement Thursday that the DOJ became interested in Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe's approach to public safety in 2010 as an interesting and innovative way to create and coordinate the efforts of the prosecutors office, the police and the community in their quest for saftey and Justice.

DOJ's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) initiated a study of the program and have released the results of their study, officials said.

The DOJ conclusion is that Rockland's approach; "Intelligence Led Community Policing, Community Prosecution and Community Partnerships (IL3CP)" quote "increase collaboration...and although this publications assessment of crime reduction and public satisfaction are preliminary, the findings are promising."

“We are extremely honored by the recognition of our innovative efforts to keep communities safe,” said Zugibe in the announcement. “But, while we always appreciate formal acknowledgement, it is the gratitude and positive reactions we receive from local residents and law enforcement that serve as the true inspiration. IL3CP and its strong partnerships produce consistently remarkable results.”

Launched in Rockland County in 2008, IL3CP combines the philosophies of community policing, intelligence-led policing and community prosecution into a single model that connects the criminal justice system and local residents through seamless communication and partnerships. By analyzing trends and gaining knowledge about crime patterns, criminals and community problems across the County, intelligence is developed that allows for smarter policing, prosecuting and community engagement throughout Rockland which contributes to more effective approach to community safety, officials said.

Here's how they studied it:

In September 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) awarded funding to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) to assess Rockland County’s IL3CP model and explore its implementation in other jurisdictions across the nation.

With the help of the Justice Department and the IACP, police departments and prosecutors’ offices in Mesa, Arizona, Newport News, Virginia and Saint Paul, Minnesota each implemented District Attorney Zugibe's IL3CP model. After one year, each municipality reported dramatically reduced crime rates, with improved communication, collaboration and cooperation among police and prosecutors.

Based on the results in each location, the IACP described Zugibe's IL3CP initiative as “a promising model of policing that has the potential to benefit both law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies throughout the nation.”

As a result of the lower crime rates in Mesa, Newport News and Saint Paul, all three pilot jurisdictions have expanded IL3CP projects beyond the initially targeted high-crime areas to other communities, a testament to their satisfaction with the model.

The Justice Department believes the overwhelming success of Zugibe’s community prosecution model will encourage others to adopt the unique IL3CP approach in their jurisdictions, officials said.