Officers from the Red Bank Police Department reaffirm their commitment to serving Red Bank as a group at the Feb. 2 City Commission meeting, re-acknowledging the Law Enforcement Oath of Honor and swearing the Police Officer Oath of Office before City Judge Johnny Houston.The Red Bank Police Department has a new look: Officers now sport a fresh patch designed by members of the force on their uniforms, and police cars adorned with a new logo will be rolling out soon. But that's not all that's changed.
The department is undergoing internal reorganization as well, said Chief Tim Christol.
"Across the country, there have been so many problems with police officers' behavior," he said as to the reasoning behind the changes. "We have worked very diligently over the past several years to improve our professionalism, build public trust and raise the credibility of this law enforcement agency, and we want to let the community know what our commitment is."
The department went through the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police Law Enforcement Accreditation Program last year, which is intended to advance the science and art of police services, as well as to teach officers commonly accepted standards for the development and improvement of these services, according to the association's website.
Christol said completing the accredidation program has enabled the officers to implement new programs and different methodology, adding that the department is the smallest in the state to become accredited.
One change in methodology has been increasing officers' interaction with the community, and Christol said this has resulted in officers getting better information from the public, which has contributed to a decrease in property crimes.
He said that so far this fiscal year, property crimes have dropped by 20 percent, and burglaries, thefts and motor vehicle thefts have decreased by 33 percent.
Christol said another thing the public will notice is a different type of response from police.
"We're going to be providing services you may see in a very large police department, but are atypical of a small agency," he said, listing examples including a youth mentoring program, a citizen's police academy and a senior citizen awareness program involving officers or volunteers checking on seniors unable to leave their homes and connecting them with social services such as Meals on Wheels.
"Like most small agencies, we're really understaffed for everything we believe we need to be providing to the community," Christol said. "The level of commitment of our employees every day makes so much of a difference. They're willing to give much more than 110 percent, and they're really the reason I come to work every day."
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com.