International Community Policing Partnership - between Medina, Ohio and Ballymena, Northern Ireland - Column

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin,The, Jan, 2001 by Dennis Hanwell

Located approximately 45 minutes south of Cleveland, Medina, Ohio, encompasses nearly 11 square miles and has a population of about 25,000 residents. As with other small communities located near metropolitan areas, citizens of Medina face many of the same threats to their peaceful lifestyles as those encountered by residents of large cities. To strengthen its commitment to safeguarding the public and serving its citizens' needs, the Medina Police Department adopted the community policing philosophy in January 1995. Since that time, the department has received over $1 million in federal grants for its community policing efforts and has won local, state, and national recognition for these strategies.

To share its experiences and successes, the department began an international community policing partnership with the Ballymena Neighborhood Policing Unit of the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Northern Ireland. This partnership has developed into an ongoing exchange of information and ideas that has benefitted both agencies.

Background

In April 1998, the mayor [1] of Medina took a personal vacation to the United Kingdom. While visiting Northern Ireland, he shared a few days with a local family who took him to visit the Borough of Ballymena in County Antrim. The borough has a population of about 57,000 and covers nearly 200 square miles. About half of the borough's population resides in the town of Ballymena. Agriculture represents the borough's main industry, with the retail establishments of the town providing additional employment. The mayor noted several similarities between the town's retail center and the downtown shopping area of Medina.

While touring the town, the mayor met a local 19-year veteran constable. During their conversation, the constable asked the mayor about community policing strategies in the United States. The mayor advised the constable that he would contact the Medina Police Department and have it forward information on its community policing initiatives and operations. Thus, a partnership began between the Medina Police Department and the Ballymena Neighborhood Policing Unit.

Partnership Developed

When the mayor returned from his trip, he provided me with the constable's business card and requested that I contact him to exchange community policing ideas and strategies. For the next 2 years, Constable Bob Young and I worked together via telephone, mail, and e-mail to share what has worked in our community policing efforts, steps taken to implement these initiatives, improvements made since these efforts began, and future ideas we want to explore. As we worked together, we realized that it would benefit both agencies if I visited Ballymena to better understand his agency's requirements and help him implement some of our successful initiatives. The mayor concurred and supported my request to travel to Northern Ireland.

I arranged the trip for April 2000 and scheduled visits to area schools, businesses, police agencies, community groups, government institutions, courts, and local religious organizations. At Constable Young's invitation, I stayed the 2 weeks with his family. This arrangement exposed me to more of the differences between American and Irish cultures and gave the two of us more time to share our thoughts and ideas.

Northern Ireland Explored

On the afternoon of my arrival, Constable Young gave me a tour of his police station where I met several officials. Later, I attended a meeting between the police and about 12 high school students who discussed issues of concern, areas where they would like to see more police presence, and suggestions for improving youth activities and police services relating to area youth.

For the next 2 weeks, I attended meetings with Royal Ulster Constabulary Police personnel, particularly the Ballymena Neighborhood Policing Unit. We discussed problem-solving techniques, differences in laws and policing practices, and community policing initiatives. I attended various in-service training sessions with the constables, including problem solving, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, riot control, and canine handling. I visited the basic training academy and spoke with recruits and the academy training staff, regarding community policing principles.

In addition to my law enforcement contacts, I spent a considerable amount of time talking with community and religious leaders, local media representatives, and business owners, both individually and in groups. Besides discussing community policing efforts, I also took part in a domestic violence forum and several local community meetings.

The preplanned media contacts occurred during the first week of my visit, but due to the attention my visit drew, more requests for media interviews spilled over into the second week. Both local newspapers interviewed me, along with both local television channels and a radio station. While the interviews focused mainly on my visit, they also provided me with a chance to discuss the concept of community policing with a wide and diverse audience.