COPPS

Community-Oriented Policing & Problem Solving (COPPS)

Community-oriented policing and problem solving, or COPPS, is a policing philosophy that promotes and supports organizational strategies to address the causes and reduce the fear of crime and social disorder through problem-solving tactics and community-police partnerships. Community policing brings police and citizens together to prevent crime and solve neighborhood problems. With community policing, the emphasis is on stopping crime before it happens, not responding to calls for service after the crime occurs. Community policing gives citizens more control over the quality of life in their community.

Business Liaison Officer and Homeless Outreach Officer

The Beaumont Police Department’s Business Liaison Officer and Homeless Outreach Officer work to address the unique challenges of our business and homeless communities.

The Homeless Outreach Officer enforces City municipal codes as well as applicable state laws when necessary and appropriate in the performance of their duties to address nuisance issues. However, their efforts are generally focused on providing assistance options and resources to those in need with a desire to receive assistance. The officer also partners with County Mental Health Officials to connect individuals with quality, timely and often critical mental health services. 

The Business Liaison Officer directly addresses the public safety needs of the City’s business community. The officer builds relationships with businesses and uses several different strategies to address the many issues that concern our restaurant, retail and professional business establishments. Some of those concerns include vehicle thefts and burglaries, shoplifting, vandalism, traffic and parking issues, panhandling and alcohol-related problems.

Community Behavioral Assessment Team (CBAT)

The Beaumont Police Department has joined with the Riverside University Health System Behavioral Health Department to form a collaborative Community Behavioral Health Assessment Team (CBAT). CBAT seeks to avoid adverse outcomes by diverting individuals with mental health issues to appropriate community services and behavioral health resources.  By providing specialized training to CBAT officers and by focusing their scope of responsibilities, the Beaumont Police Department intends to provide more in-depth assistance to people in need of behavioral health services.  CBAT also augments the Community Policing Team’s homeless outreach efforts.  The Beaumont Police and CBAT exemplifies the increasingly crucial partnerships between police and the communities they serve, delivering needed social services required to keep our community safe. 

In an effort to significantly increase our CBAT service delivery, the Beaumont Police Department, Banning Police Department and the Riverside Sheriff’s Department (Cabazon Station) have partnered their CBAT programs.  All three agencies have an agreement in place that allows CBAT services to be delivered across two cities and unincorporated areas of Riverside County. We recognize there are significant community advantages realized when partnering each other’s mental health efforts through collaboration, information sharing and training. 

The team utilizes a specially trained member of the Beaumont Police Department, Banning Police Department and a Deputy from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The officer or deputy is paired with a County of Riverside clinician, who ride together responding to calls for service anywhere within the Pass Area when available. The clinician’s time is divided between the communities of Beaumont, Banning and Cabazon.  At each call they handle, the clinician takes the lead role in evaluating the behavioral health issue while the officer provides the safety over-watch and law enforcement expertise.  From there individuals and/or their families are provided with immediate behavioral health resources to provide them with the support and services they need to keep themselves or their family members safe. This model also helps to keep police officers in the field and available to respond to other high priority or emergency calls.

Several Riverside County agencies have already implemented similar CBAT programs and have realized significant success in dealing with individuals in crisis. We are excited about this partnership and look forward to its success in the Pass area.

CBAT Services Include:

•Crisis Intervention

•Provide resources and mental health assistance vs. 5150 hold

•Referrals and follow-ups

•Assist homeless with mental heath disorders

•Assist patrol officer for all Pass Area Cities

School Resource Officers (SRO)

The Beaumont Police Department’s School Resource Officers Program dedicates an officer to school campuses to improve safety and strengthen the trusting relationship with school staff and students. The positions are funded by an agreement with Beaumont Unified School District.  The SRO's primary duties consist of the following:

•Investigate crimes that occur on Campus

•Assist school staff with non-criminal incidents (mentoring opportunities)

•Provide immediate response to any active incident on campus

•School Threat Assessment and Response (STAR)