Old School Cop Talk

New Police Chief Pete Carey talking about Colorado Springs future and a chapter from its past. Between 1985-1997, CSPD did Community Oriented Policing. Federal Grants helped pay for it which included paying for 12 additional officers. Federal money dried up, so the program in its totality had to discontinued. It stressed developing stronger ties with neighborhoods, reminiscent of the old cop on the beat format to reduce crime.

Chief Carey told me that despite budget concerns, he is in favor of this hands on approach between officers and residents. He believes it’s more proactive instead of reactive to calls for service. Chief Carey said the struggle besides money for this kind of strategy is that Colorado Springs has more than 200 square miles of real estate for officers to handle.

Chief Carey has just recently reassigned two officers who were previously on the red light street camera division. The cameras and program were discontinued. Those officers are being utilized in downtown Colorado Springs on a nightly beat. Chief Carey says the move has gotten positive reviews by business owners and others. He also says he’s waiting for the results of a top to bottom review of his department to see what the best bang for the buck is for officers to deliver services to you.