Motorola Solutions, International Association of Chiefs of Police Recognize Outstanding Law Enforcement Programs

Motorola Solutions, International Association of Chiefs of Police Recognize Outstanding Law Enforcement Programs

Winning agencies from Baltimore, Everett, Wash. and Las Vegas to be honored at IACP’s 118th Annual Conference in Chicago

CHICAGO (IACP, Motorola Solutions Booth # 1100) – Oct. 24, 2011 – Winners of the 19th annual IACP/Motorola Webber Seavey Award for Quality in Law Enforcement were honored today by Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Law enforcement agencies were honored from around the world for violent crime prevention, motorists’ assistance programs and crime analysis.

KEY FACTS

• Baltimore County Police Department, (BCoPD) Baltimore, is being recognized for the “Violence Prevention Initiative” program which is helping to reduce homicides by 16 percent and leading to a 20 percent drop in non-fatal shootings since the initiative was launched two years ago.
• The BCoPD program supports the state’s efforts in holding violent offenders accountable through heightened supervision. The “Violence Prevention Initiative” also helps offenders successfully re-integrate into the community when they are released.
• The Everett Police Department, Everett, Wash. developed “Project Impact,” which is turn-key crime prevention software that allows law enforcement agencies to implement customized educational materials in their communities at no cost. The software gives users:
  • Templates to initiate or update crime prevention programs,
  • A universal method for all agencies to implement educational programs, and
  • The ability to implement customized educational materials within user’s communities.
• Since “Project Impact” began in September 2008, the Everett Police Department reports that 127 agencies in 27 states and 3 countries are using the software.
• Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) set a goal to reduce gang-related crime in targeted neighborhoods. They formed the “Safe Village” initiative that incorporates well-established federal delinquency prevention strategies to combat crime and increase quality of life for residents.
• LVMPD saw homicides decrease by 40 percent and gun-related crimes drop from 363 to 205 over a seven-month period during the first year of the “Safe Village” program.
• The Webber Seavey Award is named for IACP’s first president.
• This year’s award attracted a field of nearly 50 applicants from around the world sharing their positive experiences with peers in the law enforcement community.

SUPPORTING QUOTES
Mark A. Marshall, IACP president and police chief of Smithfield Police Department, Smithfield, Va.
“We congratulate each of the winners of this year’s IACP/Motorola Webber Seavey Award for Quality in Law Enforcement. Each agency has gone above and beyond the traditional policing that people are accustomed to in their communities, and each has provided exemplary initiatives for their peers to emulate. It is our pleasure to recognize these winners and their departments for their outstanding efforts. We look forward to sharing these programs with our fellow public safety agencies around the world because that is the ultimate goal of this program.”

Jim Welch, senior vice president, Motorola Solutions
“These men and women that have dedicated their lives to develop innovative ideas to improve the public safety of their communities deserve to be recognized for these outstanding efforts. Motorola Solutions applauds their work and salutes each of the winning agencies for their innovation and superior abilities.”

James W. Johnson, chief, Baltimore County Police Department, Baltimore
“The Violence Prevention Initiative has taken the supervision of those arrested for first degree murders to a new level. These offenders were already under the supervision of the Division of Parole and Probation, but changes needed to be made for heightened supervision. A multi-department team was developed to address areas like offender identification, tracking, case management and warrant service. We have seen a significant drop in violent crime and look to continue that trend.”

Kathy Atwood, chief, Everett Police Department, Everett, Wash.
“Communicating with residents was the main focus of Project Impact. We wanted to help the community understand the reality of the crime rates in Everett and provide ways they could help to prevent crime through education. The perception was that there were rising crime rates when most had actually decreased according to crime data. We are very proud that agencies around the world have adopted the free software and have customized the educational material for their communities.”

Gary Schofield, deputy chief, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Las Vegas
“The large-scale approach to community policing was based on partnerships with multiple agencies as well as community- and faith-based organizations. Safe Village brought all the stakeholders together to take part in the planning and implementation of this program. The approach was successful in reducing gang-related crime in targeted neighborhoods by disrupting the culture of violence that affects youths caught up in dangerous street life.”

SUPPORTING RESOURCES

Conference website: IACP 2011
IACP website: The IACP
Website: Next Generation Public Safety Portal
Twitter: @MotPublicSafety
Facebook: Motorola Public Safety

About the IACP
The International Association of Chiefs of Police is the world’s oldest and largest association of law enforcement executives. Founded in 1893, the IACP has more than 21,000 members in over 100 countries.