For the City of Cayce, better public safety is all about teamwork. Hoping to build a stronger relationship between police and the public, the city created a Public Safety Community Services Unit as an expansion to its community policing program.
One of the unit’s primary goals is to address quality-of-life issues that negatively affect living conditions in the community. For example, in the last year the unit increased by almost 200 the number of citations for code-enforcement violations, which negatively affect property values, health and safety of any community. Better communication between the public and the unit made this possible.
To create the unit, the city had to address the challenges facing officers who were trying to fulfill all their law enforcement responsibilities while attempting to be community officers. This workload and constant shifting made it difficult for the public to get to know the officers and to work together.
The dedicated CSU unit does not change frequently and can therefore become more familiar with the needs and issues of residents in particular neighborhoods. It allows these CSU officers to interact more directly with the public and attend various community events and functions, which also provides a friendlier, visual
police presence.
CSU officers are able to participate in community and school activities such as visiting classrooms, engaging in reading programs and helping facilitate safe neighborhood events that promote city unity.
The unit works with the city’s Community Police Advisory Board, a group of involved residents and leaders that meets regularly to discuss issues and solutions.
The city and the unit believe that community involvement and pride are the keys to a safer and better Cayce. Ultimately, the city expects that this "teamwork" approach to law enforcement will translate into population growth and economic development by greatly improving the city’s quality of life and image.