Police Beats are Foundation of Community Policing
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Police departments typically assign officers to a certain geographic area known as a beat. Instead of regularly rotating officers to different beats, the Sugar Land Police Department has used a beat accountability model since 2004 that reinforces its community policing philosophy.
“While Sugar Land has a low crime rate, we are using the beat accountability initiative to further improve our community policing,” said Police Chief Steve Griffith. “Beat accountability helps residents continue to feel safe in their neighborhoods. It involves officers getting closer to the community and understanding concerns by getting officers out of their patrol cars and meeting face to face with residents and business owners.”
Sugar Land is divided into four beats determined by geography and call loads. An annual workload analysis helps SLPD determine the number of patrol officers needed per beat, per shift and per day. Each beat is assigned at least two detectives, one traffic officer and one crime prevention officer. Team members work together to identify and resolve particular neighborhood concerns.
Leading each team is a beat manager who tracks specific neighborhood concerns and their solutions.
“These managers are essential to the success of the police beat concept,” said Griffith. “Years of law enforcement experience, knowledge of each neighborhood within their police beat and their problem-solving capabilities make them invaluable.”
Each month the beat managers discuss activities and issues within their respective beats with the police chief, two assistant chiefs and captains emphasizing criminal trends, community meetings, problem areas/community concerns, quality of life issues, traffic concerns and team effectiveness and accomplishments.
“We’ve improved communication because all levels of police personnel offer input through the beat manager up the chain of command. It also means, for example, that information from a detective on the day shift is made available to a traffic officer working at night,” said Griffith.
As a management tool, Griffith says the beat model bridges management and accountability. As the lieutenants manage their resources, they become responsible to residents.
“Accountability — comparing statistics and looking for positive or negative developments — challenges the beat manager to make sure he or she is on top of trends, issues and concerns and ultimately reinforces our goal of being the safest city in the area,” said Griffith.
Meet Sugar Land’s police beat managers
Beat 1
Lt. Justin Joyce oversees the City’s largest residential beat. The 25-year law enforcement veteran holds a Texas Master Peace Officer License and has experience in patrol, administrative services, support and investigative services. He has been awarded two lifesaving and an outstanding officer award from SLPD.
Joyce is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Leadership Command College at Sam Houston State University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Houston. Joyce and his family are Sugar Land residents.
“Beat accountability is the essence of police work, which is knowing the people I serve. We can’t know all 70,000 residents, but my team and I can get to know the residents in Beat 4 and work to identify trends and solutions more quickly,” Joyce said.
Beat 2
In his 23-year law enforcement career, Lt. David Marcaurele has served with municipal police and county sheriff departments. His extensive experience encompasses nearly all law enforcement areas, including county jail operations, patrol, SWAT, narcotics, criminal investigations, traffic unit, crime prevention, communications, identification, civil process, court security, warrants and fugitive apprehension, records and internal affairs. During his 13 years with SLPD, he received its lifesaving award and the Police Medal of Valor.
Marcaurele holds a Texas Master Peace Officer license. As he sees it, Sugar Land benefits from the beat accountability model because, “Beat thinking emphasizes the need to address issues that affect people on a more intimate, neighborhood level, as opposed to using a Citywide approach.”
Beat 3
Lt. Mark Grothaus is the evening shift patrol watch commander and also has served SLPD over the past 10 years as a patrol officer, patrol sergeant and detective.
Grothaus earned a bachelor’s of business administration in management from Texas Tech University and is a Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas graduate. He has qualified for and applied for his Texas Master Peace Officer license.
He was awarded the Exchange Club Officer of the Year award in 2000.
“Beat accountability improves communication and allows us to identify issues or trends and address appropriately. While officers have always worked a beat, this model keeps us aware of what’s going on 24/7,” Grothaus said.
Beat 4
Lt. Michelle Allen has served Sugar Land residents for 8 years as a patrol officer and sergeant for the patrol, identification, and professional standards divisions. She is the night shift patrol watch commander. She previously worked in law enforcement for Houston Baptist University, Spring ISD and Fort Bend County Precinct 4. She holds a Texas Master Peace Officer License.
Allen earned bachelor’s degree with a double major in management and computer information systems from Houston Baptist University. She recently graduated from Sam Houston State University with a master’s in criminal justice management. Allen is a graduate of the Leadership Command College at Sam Houston State University.
“Assigning a beat manager provides residents with a single contact person for concerns in their area. Residents north of U.S. 90A should contact me directly for any problems or issues with which law enforcement officers may be able to assist,” Allen said.
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