MAY/JUNE 2006 / 37

Vol. 36, No. 3 May/June 2006

2005-2006 Board of Directors Contents

President
Priscilla Stevens U.S. Gulf Coast Schools Cite Hurricane Lessons ....................................................... 9
College of Southern Maryland By Christopher G. Blake, CAE
President Elect Lessons Learned Listening Session sponsored by IACLEA, the FBI, and the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Steven J. Healy
Princeton University Educational Awareness for Nicotine and Alcohol Addiction in Law Enforcement .. 13
Treasurer By Daniel J. Benny, M.A., CPP, PCI, CCO, CLET
Lisa A. Sprague Widespread use of addictive substances impacts law enforcement officers
Florida State University
American Leadership Principles in an Age of Corruption ...................................... 21
Immediate Past President By Vincent Bove, CPP
Kenneth A. Willett Time tested leadership skills have the potential to transform
University of Montana
Law Enforcement Involvement in the Community Planning Process .................... 25
Directors
Daniel Hutt Canada By Randy A. Gonzalez, Ph.D.
Growth and community management process should include the expertise of
University of Toronto
law enforcement agencies
Jean Luc Mahieu International
University of Brussels More Protection for Our Protectors ........................................................................ 30
By Craig W. Floyd
Raymond H. Thrower, Jr. Mid-America Ensuring that officers have the resources to do their job effectively and safely
Gustavus Adolphus College
James J. Bonner, Jr.
Arcadia University
Mid-Atlantic
Departments
President’s Message ................................................................................................. 2
Steven J. Rittereiser Mountain Pacific
Central Washington University Association News ..................................................................................................... 3
Member News .......................................................................................................... 7
Paul L. Ominsky North Atlantic
Mount Holyoke College Letter to the Editor ................................................................................................... 8
Jasper Cooke Southeast
Augusta State University
On the Cover
Robert K. Bratten Southwest
University of Texas Health Science Ctr.
Photos taken of IACLEA member campuses on August 30, 2005, after Hurricane
Katrina. Campus public safety leaders from Gulf Coast colleges and universities
Phillip A. Johnson At-Large gather to discuss key lessons learned from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. (See article
University of Notre Dame
on page 9).
Marlon C. Lynch At-Large
Vanderbilt University
David M. Worden At-Large
San Diego Community College District Campus Law Enforcement Journal is the official publication of the International Association of Campus
Law Enforcement Administrators. It is published bimonthly and dedicated to the promotion of profes-
Chief Staff Officer/Editor in Chief sional ideals and standards for law enforcement, security and public safety so as to better serve institu-
Peter J. Berry, CAE tions of higher education.
Managing Editor Single copy: $5; subscription: $30 annually in U.S. currency to nonmembers in U.S., Canada, Mexico. All
Karen E. Breseman other countries: $35. Manuscripts, correspondence, and all contributed materials are welcome; however,
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MAY/JUNE 2006 / 1
Law Enforcement Involvement in the Community
Planning Process
By Randy Gonzalez, Ph.D.
As communities continue to confront the
problems of growth while attempting to
provide quality services to meet increas-
ing demands, it becomes more impera-
tive that we evaluate our attitudes toward
community design, organization and plan-
ning.
There appears a lack of understand-
ing and confusion as to what is meant by
planning, especially the phrase: environ-
mental security planning, its management
or its processes, particularly when the
average citizen seeks a change in zoning
or land use designation. A brief encoun-
ter with all the various levels of govern-
ment, which may process a petitioner’s
request and recommend final approval
or disapproval, is often enough to invoke
verbiage of an obscene nature.
Planning a community’s growth and
development has all too often been left
to a small group of professionals or seem-
ingly academic types, who may or may
not have an understanding of what the
public wants or desires. Public officials,
who may have good intentions, some-
times have a vague idea of what plan-
ning entails, and sometimes do not en-
courage or solicit advice from other lev-
els of government within the same com-
munity.
By the nature of their work, police officers
are decision makers. More often than not,
these decisions are made within the span of
seconds or minutes.
In the next twenty years, the planning
process will be even more critical. More As communities continue to confront the
and more citizens will find themselves problems of growth while attempting to
involved with local and regional planning provide quality services to meet increasing
boards, agencies or commissions. They demands, it becomes more imperative that
will find themselves involved out of a
we evaluate our attitudes toward
personal concern for the future health,
safety or welfare of their community, or community design, organization and
because their neighborhoods are threat- planning.
ened by population density, traffic, or
other related problems.
aspects about a city or community. For
With changes in population density,
example, they know where the serious
expansion of communities, traffic conges-
danger spots are located, the crowded
tion, commercial development of one
neighborhoods, high traffic areas, and
form or another, and demands for gov-
other factors that should be considered in
ernmental services, the potential for crimi-
the planning process. Furthermore, the
nal activity becomes a serious added fac-
police are aware that new housing de-
tor. This requires the active involvement
velopments will create demands for ad-
in the local planning process that goes
ditional safety and security services. Man-
beyond the usual programs of the typical
power allocations, response times, and
police crime prevention unit.
other related services become important
In planning the future growth of a
areas of concern in the growth process.
community, local officials should rely more
In short, without lengthy discussion on all
on their law enforcement agencies for
the various roles that police play in the
professional input into the growth man-
community, they are the primary daily
agement process. The police, then, should
contact between the citizens and the
come to view their involvement in a
public. Therefore, the police are in an
community’s development as one of en-
excellent position to know and understand
vironmental security consultants in the
the feelings of the public.
aspects pertaining to public safety.
By the nature of their work, police of-
The Police as Environmental ficers are decision makers. More often
Security Planners than not, these decisions are made within
The police spend much time patrolling the span of seconds or minutes. Yet the
the community through various deploy- police officer must be prepared to make
ment means. Emphasis is usually placed critical judgments based on training, edu-
on prevention through visibility, whether cation, and experience and then to take
appropriate action. This ability adds to the
by foot patrol or by vehicle. In the pro-
cess, the police come to know significant Continued on page 26
MAY/JUNE 2006 / 25
Law Enforcement Involvement in the Community Planning Process
Continued from page 25
As a governmental function, planning
presents a difficulty in the sense that there is
not a clear concept of its proper role in
relation to the community served.
role the police must play in a difficult
society in which he/she must clearly un-
derstand complicated social issues in or-
der to be effective and efficient.
The police realize perhaps more than
others in local government that environ-
mental security planning can influence
criminal behavior and behavior in gen-
eral in at least two ways. Through proper
crime control planning, physical attributes
and design of particular settings establish
an environment to which people respond
as individuals. Secondly, people respond
socially, and establish social relationships.
Noise, pollution and overcrowding are
some examples of physical characteris-
tics that may enhance negative behavior.
26 / Campus Law Enforcement Journal
Such things as alienation, dehumanization
and anxiety are examples of social char-
acteristics that may promote negative
social relationship.1 The way in which the
urban environment is designed deter-
mines the rate and type of criminal activ-
ity. And yet, public officials in many cit-
ies have been slow to recognize that crime
prevention is an integral part of urban
planning.2
Law enforcement professionals have
long recognized that certain physical fac-
tors can contribute to the nature of crimi-
nality. Environmental security planning
involves programs of corrective preven-
tion directed at understanding and elimi-
nating causes of crime before they can
occur. Planning and design strategies as-
sist the police in their interaction with the
public when based on sound security and
safety concepts. Environmental security
planning promotes the concept of “de-
fensible space” among members of the
public, which leads the public to share
social responsibilities and improve the
quality of the setting, rather than surren-
der their freedom to others.3
The law enforcement agency has an
opportunity to make a significant contri-
bution to the planning process in the lo-
cal community. Experienced officers can
identify high-risk neighborhoods by mak-
ing note of potential crime targets. They
can identify areas of poor lighting, places
of concealment, the inaccessibility of po-
lice patrol, and other related problems.
Through the development of this infor-
mation, the law enforcement agency can
contribute to the planning process to help
reduce both crime and the fear of crime.
The expertise provided by the police can
assist in the design of new residential,
recreational, industrial, commercial and
open space development.
In view of the need to ensure the
welfare, safety and security of the com-
munity and to provide adequate and effi-
Continued on page 27
Law Enforcement Involvement in the Community Planning Process
Continued from page 26
One of the beginning tasks of the planning
commission whose members may be citizens
appointed from the community by the local
government is to develop the master plan
for its jurisdictional area.
cient police services, every local govern-
ment should establish the organizational
and procedural processes by which the
police participate in the planning process.
The Planning Process —
An Overview
When the word planning is mentioned,
people have an assortment of mental
images. Some think of the preservation
of natural resources while others think of
housing programs. Those in the business
community may think of market poten-
tials or plant expansion. Still others may
regard the term as an intrusion by the
government into their private lives. Plan-
ning has different meanings to different
people.4
As a governmental function, planning
presents a difficulty in the sense that there
is not a clear concept of its proper role in
relation to the community served. This
creates a problem when it comes to or-
ganizing the environment and respond-
ing to community development. The
object of planning should be to further
the welfare of the citizens in the commu-
nity by creating a positive, healthy, effi-
cient and attractive environment.5 All fea-
tures of a community, the physical and
the social, are related and interdependent.
These must be balanced by skilled fore-
sight and planned administrative coordi-
nation.
Planning defines a process that gives
consideration to urban needs regarding
land use, public facilities and services,
capital improvements and financing, and
inter-governmental coordination of plan-
ning activities. Planning can also be
viewed as the active effort of organizing
human activities to better serve human
needs. It is a process that, through proper
administrative direction, brings together
various components of the community
by greater integration into a more coher-
ent and efficient framework. People in-
volved in planning must consider the
physical environment as a whole, and the
way in which people perceive and make
use of each part of the environment.6
The governmental power to control
land use, and thereby exercise influence
over growth and development, is one of
the most significant powers vested to
government. Through proper judgment
and decision making, the exercise of this
kind of power can be one of the best
resources for creating a better commu-
nity. However, abuse of the planning pro-
cess by means of political reward to spe-
cial interests, or for the purpose of mon-
etary gain and increase of power, can have
devastating effects on the community.
The principal aspect of all planning falls
upon the delegation of proper govern-
mental responsibility and authority to the
appropriate agency. County and munici-
pal governments become involved in the
planning process as a result of state legis-
lation. It is important to realize that the
wording of the enabling legislation de-
fines legally the framework that local gov-
ernments follow with regard to planning.
As Herbert Smith in his excellent book
The Citizen’s Guide to Planning (1979)
points out:
From this point, we move to the
local scene. To get started in plan-
ning, the governing body must en-
act an ordinance establishing an
agency for planning (a planning
commission or planning board, de-
pending on the terminology of each
state act) and setting forth its pre-
scribed functions.7
One of the beginning tasks of the plan-
ning commission whose members may
be citizens appointed from the commu-
nity by the local government is to de-
velop the master plan for its jurisdictional
area. Usually the planning commission is
supported by a professional staff of plan-
ners and other administrative personnel
Every law enforcement agency should
become actively committed to the local
government planning process and work
with local planning commissions or boards
in areas of mutual interest.
in order to carry out the planning pro-
cess. The organization and function of
planning commissions or boards may vary
from one community to another.
Each matter coming before the plan-
ning commission which eventually in-
volves change to the overall plan of the
community should include informative
input by other agencies of the local gov-
ernment. At this level, the police agency
would have the opportunity to offer its
expertise regarding safety and security.
The police have an opportunity to be-
come involved in another important di-
mension of local government: providing
technical assistance in areas concerning
the growth and expansion of the com-
munity they serve.
Police Involvement in Planning
Every law enforcement agency should
become actively committed to the local
government planning process and work
with local planning commissions or boards
in areas of mutual interest. Likewise, lo-
cal government leadership should openly
Depending on the level of growth activity,
size of the community, personnel resources,
and other significant operational factors,
every police department should devote
some of its resources to planning.
encourage police participation in the com-
munity planning process.
Depending on the level of growth ac-
tivity, size of the community, personnel
resources, and other significant opera-
tional factors, every police department
should devote some of its resources to
planning. It has been suggested by some
researchers that police agencies with sev-
enty-five or more personnel should have
at least one person assigned full-time plan-
ning responsibilities.8 However in smaller
agencies, the need may still warrant a
planning unit. If the department’s opera-
tions are such that a full-time assignment
is not possible, then personnel with re-
lated duties should be assigned the plan-
ning responsibility.
Continued on page 29
MAY/JUNE 2006 / 27
Law Enforcement Involvement in the Community Planning Process
Continued from page 27
The main objective of police involvement in
community planning as environmental
security specialists is the reduction of
criminal opportunity.
The magnitude and complexity of task
assignments for a police planning unit or
a planning person should be carefully ana-
lyzed to determine the organization and
design of the planning unit. Important ac-
tivities are the interface and cooperative
planning with non-criminal justice agen-
cies, such as local planning commissions.9
In order for the police department to
meet the demands of a growing commu-
nity and participate competently in the
planning process, local government must
allocate the necessary resources. The re-
sponsibility of local government to pro-
vide adequate levels of funding for the
police to become fully involved in all
phases of community physical planning,
Palma auto boot pu last page 26
including the assignment of qualified per-
sonnel, providing training, agency com-
mitment and leadership support.
The main objective of police involve-
ment in community planning as environ-
mental security specialists is the reduc-
tion of criminal opportunity. This includes
the provision of law enforcement exper-
tise to prevent and deter crime, establish
physical and psychological barriers to
criminal behavior and increase the prob-
ability of detection. There are several
other aspects that would fit within this
overall objective calling for increased
police assistance in the planning process.
Environmental security planning allows
the community to design streets, build-
ings, neighborhoods, parks, and commer-
cial districts wherein safety and security
are key factors. Crime can be controlled
through such planning efforts and at the
same time communities can increase hu-
man contact of a positive nature. The fu-
ture health, safety and welfare of local
communities demands greater consider-
ation of the police professional in the
planning process.
Notes
1. C. Ray Jeffrey, Crime Prevention Through
Environmental Design (Beverly Hills: Sage
Publications, 1971), p. 215.
2. Ibid., p. 216.
3. Oscar Newman, Architectural Design for Crime
Prevention (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Gov-
ernment Printing Office, 1971), p. 1.
4. Herbert Smith, The Citizens Guide to Plan-
ning (Chicago: The American Planning
Association, 1979), p. 23.
5. Ibid., p. 27.
6. Ibid., p. 28.
7. Ibid., p. 29.
8. Charles Swanson and Leonard Territo, Police
Administration: Structures, Processes and
Behavior (New York: Macmillan Publish-
ing, 1983), p. 389.
9. Ibid., p. 389.
About the Author
For 32 years, Randy Gonzalez has been
an active member of the criminal justice
community. He is a certified law en-
forcement instructor in criminal justice
general studies areas, legal studies, de-
fensive tactics, police driving, firearms,
human diversity, first responder, inter-
personal communication skills, as well
as ethics and professionalism. As a prac-
titioner of the martial arts for over 30
years, Gonzalez also teaches personal
safety and self-defense courses. He is the
former director of a police academy and
managed law enforcement basic recruit
training, as well as career development
courses for in-service personnel.
Gonzalez serves as an adjunct professor
of criminology and public administra-
tion and has taught at the university,
college and adult-vocational levels for the
past 25 years. He holds B.A. and M.A.
degrees in Criminology, an M.P.A. in Pub-
lic Administration, and a Ph.D. in Reli-
gious Studies. He has written and pub-
lished a number of articles, training manu-
als, texts and related instructional mate-
rials on topics related to criminal justice,
the martial arts and religious studies.
Gonzalez is a member of several law en-
forcement organizations, professional as-
sociations and related criminal justice
groups. He continues to write, consult
and train in the field of criminology and
law enforcement.
MAY/JUNE 2006 / 29