Expanded Neighborhood Patrol
Expanded Neighborhood Patrol (ENP) is a program authorized by the DPD in which neighborhood organizations may hire armed, uniformed, off-duty police officers to patrol their area. The organizations may pay to reserve a Dallas police car for use by the officer, subject to availability. Frequency and length of individual patrol periods are decided by the group, with a 2-hour minimum patrol period required. ENP has proven to be very effective in reducing crime in neighborhoods. It is also the most expensive crime prevention program and can require a great deal of time and effort to organize and operate on a continuing basis.
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Requirements:
ENP must be approved by the Divisional Commander prior to formation. The following requirements must by met:
• The group must have a valid community organizational structure sufficient to support the program, means of payment, and a representative to act as liaison between the group and the DPD.
• The group must hold a public forum meeting with all interested members of the neighborhood and DPD personnel to discuss the ENP and other viable options.
• A designated representative of the organization must sign a Letter of Agreement.
• The Division Commander can discontinue the ENP at any time it is determined that the program is not operating within DPD guidelines.
Factors to Consider: Document your findings on the following factors because neighbors will have questions that will need to be answered before they make a commitment.
Incorporation- consult an attorney to determine if incorporation of your organization is advisable to reduce potential individual liability.
Insurance- the DPD encourages groups to obtain one million dollar liability policies. Coverage for the program is difficult to obtain and relatively expensive. Consult an insurance advisor. Taxes- Federal, State, franchise and payroll taxes and tax returns are likely to be involved in this type of program. Consult a tax advisor before starting to avoid any tax problems.
Association Officers- since the amount of money involved with the ENP is generally much greater than that involved in most crime watch programs, it is recommended that the group elect or appoint officers, including a Treasurer, with specific responsibilities and authority outlined in by-laws or some other document.
Member Fee Billing- members will need to be billed in advance of the patrol period to ensure that adequate funds are available to pay for the expenses incurred. Billing may be prepared on a quarterly, semi-annual, or annual basis. A surplus fund of at least a month’s expenses is desirable to allow for unexpected expenses or slow collections.
Mobile Phones- although a cell phone is not required, members may want to be able to call the officer in an emergency. This feature alone is a key attraction that differentiates participants from non-participants. The more such features you can offer, the more incentive the neighbors have to join the ENP.
Initial Budget Estimate and Poll: After consulting with legal, insurance and tax advisors, poll your neighbors to determine if there is enough interest to sustain the program. The poll can be accomplished by telephone, by block captains in person, or at meetings. You usually will have to provide an initial estimate of the monthly cost to neighbors, which may be difficult to do until you know the number of neighbors willing to participate.
A rough initial budget may be calculated as follows. This example assumes a 5-hour patrol, 7 nights per week in an area of 200 homes for a four-week month:
Officer patrol wages at $30.00…………………………….........................$4,200.00
Patrol car billing options:
Plan A - Fixed rate of $420/month + $0.62/patrol hour................$506.80
Plan A with MDT - Fixed rate of $420/month for the vehicle + $217/month for MDT cost reimbursement + $0.62/patrol hour........$723.80
Plan B - $6.95 for every patrol hour................................................$973.00
Insurance (will vary based on amount of patrol) …………….….............$200.00
Mobile phone costs (may vary from $35-$150/month) ………….........$100.00
Administrative costs (postage, paper, etc.)…………………….…................$34.00
Total estimated monthly cost varies based on which Patrol Car billing option you choose.
Plan A - $5040.80
Plan A with MDT - $5257.80
Plan B - $5507.00
Number of households in area = 200. Total estimated monthly cost $5,507. Expected participation rate = 50%. Estimated number of participating members = 100. Estimated monthly cost per home = $55.07. The above example is not meant to imply that this will be the actual cost of the program in your neighborhood, but rather is meant to provide a basic format to assist you in calculating an initial budget estimate.
You may have more or fewer expenses, and the actual costs may vary considerably, especially insurance and administrative costs. A lack of volunteer efforts will result in increased administrative costs. You also may have a larger or smaller participation rate among your neighbors. You may find ENP to be cost-prohibitive in your neighborhood.
Start-up Procedures: If the initial poll of neighbors indicates adequate interest in the program, and after you have discussed alternatives with the DPD and residents in a public forum, proceed as follows:
1) Send out member billing. Quarterly, semi-annual, or annual billings will reduce administrative effort. Follow-up calls will be necessary. If payments are not received from all the neighbors who originally indicated interest in the program, you may have to adjust the number of patrol hours accordingly. Revise your budget to reflect the actual number of participants from whom you have received payment.
2) Contact your substation ENP coordinator or crime watch officer for a Letter of Agreement to be signed and returned to the Division Commander. Determine whether a patrol car will be available to your group. The ENP coordinator also will be able to provide a list of available officers.
3) Interview the officers and ask for references. Let them know what you expect from the program. Selection of the individual officers is up to the neighborhood organization, subject to the approval of the DPD. Negotiate a mutually agreed-upon pay rate.
4) Contract for a mobile phone for the officer’s use, to be billed to your organization. Generally, a one to three year contract with cancellation penalties is required. Airtime rates vary considerably. Negotiate with the provider for the best corporate rates. A deposit of $300 may be required.
5) Determine the days, times, and length of patrol periods based on your budget and discussion with your patrol officer, Neighborhood Police Officer (NPO) Lieutenant, and with other experienced ENP neighborhood groups to determine the most appropriate hours for your neighborhood. Adjust the schedule as needed; for example, you may want to increase patrol hours during higher crime periods, holidays, or if a significant crime trend hits your area.
6) Notify participating members of the starting date for the patrol, the patrol schedule, and the procedures they should follow if and when they need the officer’s assistance. In some ENP neighborhoods, the members are not given the patrol car mobile phone number and may not be given the patrol schedule, or the patrol may be performed on a random basis with no set schedule. For best acceptance by members, the group as a whole should make these decisions, after weighing the pros and cons and the individual circumstances of the neighborhood. In general, members may be easier to recruit and keep if they have a say in the procedure and have access to the officer. Neighbors typically will accept the decision if it is determined on a majority rule basis.
Ongoing procedures: Your organization will need one or more persons (either volunteers or paid consultants) to prepare regular billing, payroll and tax returns, record payments, make collection calls, pay monthly bills, and handle the bank account. Collection difficulties often occur, even in the best of neighborhoods. Don’t assume the program will run itself. Members will move or drop out, and constant recruitment of new members may be necessary to maintain the level of service. Not all neighbors will participate, which sometimes results in some resentment among neighbors. A large time commitment from the neighborhood ENP coordinator is required because he or she basically is running a business with all the related problems of billing, collections, employee motivation, etc.
The patrol officers are required to complete all necessary paperwork at the substation, which includes off-duty employment requests, checking in and out at the station, and completing vehicle usage forms. Officers are also required to adhere to their on-duty standards of conduct while on off-duty jobs. They are not allowed to perform personal services and may stop vehicles only if probable cause exists.
Many ENP groups maintain a patrol logbook that includes a detailed map of the area, an up-to-date roster of members, a confidential member information sheet and a patrol activity log completed by the officers. Voice mail can be used in conjunction with the ENP to keep the officers informed of any unusual activity or member vacation schedules.
Additional Information: It is very important that members be instructed to call 911 first in any emergency situation when they may have time for only one call. The association and its representatives should be careful not to give any guarantees or exaggerated assurances of safety.
For more information call the Northeast Division at 214-671-0164.