How We Engage
As many of you know, the City of Brookhaven was incorporated in December 2012; and one of the principle goals of cityhood was improved public safety. When BPD launched police services in July 2013, we took that mission to heart! Within six months of forming, BPD had a dedicated Community Policing Unit staffed by a sergeant and two officers. These three officers are primarily responsible for scheduling and attending community and neighborhood meetings, and responding to public inquiries. This is done to help build relationships with civic and religious groups, business, service providers, and community members to facilitate effective police services and interagency relationships. Since its inception, the Community Policing Team has included a Spanish-speaking officer to actively engage Hispanic and Latino residents who are not English speaking. This position was filled by Carlos Niño for almost six years. Since his promotion to Sergeant in February 2020, BPD has been actively recruiting to fill his position. In the interim, we’ve been able to call on many of our 14 Spanish-speaking officers, ten of whom are assigned to the Patrol Division.
BPD is proud to be actively involved in a number of activities that engage our public and allow them meaningful access to our officers and our agency, and provide a platform for community discussions. These include: Citizen’s Police Academies, Police Explorers, Coffee with a Cop, Copsicles, National Night Out, and school presentations; as well as community service projects, including: Shop with a Badge, Trunk-or-Treat, and “Real Men Read.” Below are descriptions of some of those events and opportunities!
The Brookhaven Police Citizens Police Academy is designed to offer residents the opportunity to inspect and learn about BPD from the inside out. The program is open to adults 21 and over who live or work in Brookhaven, and meets once each week for ten weeks. The CPA is designed to give insight into the functions of police work, the logistics of the Brookhaven Police Department and our training specifically, and provide an overview of crime prevention programs. Topics include: Georgia and Constitutional Law, use-of-force and de-escalation, traffic enforcement and crash investigation, and more. Participants have the opportunity to access every area of police headquarters, participate in real-time training, and ride with an on-duty police officer during the program. Classes are held twice each year in English. In addition, the Hispanic Citizens Police academy is intended for Hispanic and Latino residents. The HCPA is covers all of the same topics but is conducted entirely in Spanish. BPD’s HCPA is held once each year, for a total of three citizens academies per year. The program is not designed to make police officers out of students; rather, it is our attempt to better inform our public of the training, policies, and practices of BPD.
The Police Explorer Program, also called Public Safety Cadets, is designed to introduce young men and women who are interested in policing as a career path to the inner workings of the Brookhaven Police Department. The program is open to youth aged 14-21 who have completed the 8th grade. Explorers/Cadets receive police academy style training from qualified instructors which include traffic direction, dispute resolution, de-escalation, crisis intervention, traffic direction, and criminal law. The program also carries a community service requirement, and Explorers have frequent opportunities to serve Brookhaven by assisting at City functions. Meetings are held every Thursday night at Police Headquarters from 7pm – 9pm, and every meeting is open to new members. We expect to resume meetings soon.
National Night Out is celebrated annually on the first Tuesday in August, and designed to enhance the relationships between neighbors and law enforcement by bringing them together through positive circumstances! Since 2015, BPD has partnered with neighboring Dunwoody and Sandy Springs Police to host the event near Perimeter Mall. Typically consisting of a touch-a-truck event, inflatable bounce houses, and food provided by each police department, NNO offers an opportunity to casually interact with dozens of officers and discuss issues relevant to their specific neighborhoods.
In 2019 BPD participated in the inaugural Hispanic Heritage Event. Held at Northeast Plaza, the festival drew over 200 attendees and was staffed by 15 graduates from the Hispanic Citizens Police Academy as well as several volunteers from the Cross Keys JROTC, many of whom are also Brookhaven Police Explorers. Officers had a chance to interact with Hispanic residents to continue building trust, encourage crime reporting by victims without regard for immigration status, and to explain programs available to community members.
BPD has participated in the Trunk-or-Treat Halloween event at OLA Catholic Church since 2017. Our Community Policing Unit has developed a knack for decorating police cars, and the event provides a fun way for children to interact with uniformed police officers.
The Shop with a Badge program is intended to uplift the spirits of children in the community by assisting with their Christmas needs. Children are nominated by school counselors based on economic need, and each child is allotted $200 to purchase necessary clothing, school supplies, and a Christmas gift for themselves. Every child is accompanied by a uniformed police officer, paving the way for a positive interaction with police and mutually respectful relationships in the future.
Coffee with a Cop, and BPD’s summer spin: Copsicles, provides an informal platform for community members of all ages to engage Brookhaven Police Officers. “No Agendas, No Speeches” is the mantra of both events, and the spirit of discussion and collaboration guides interactions. Watch the BPD Facebook page for posts about upcoming events near you! Both are held at local restaurants, businesses, city parks, and community common areas.
