Prince George’s County police opened a community policing station inside the Town Center Shopping Center in Laurel on Tuesday as part of the department’s continued effort to involve itself in the fabric of residents’ lives.
The effort has been credited with helping reduce the number of homicides in the once crime-plagued county to levels not seen since the late 1990s.
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The latest step will keep police officers in close contact with the businesses in the shopping center as they work out of the new substation, Police Chief Roberto Hylton said.
“We are excited to be partnering with local businesses in order to expand the community policing concept in the Laurel area,” Hylton said.
Community policing has become popular among U.S. police departments over the last decades. The concept revolves around establishing relationships between beat officers and the communities in which they work. When police are viewed positively as a result of those relationships, they believe citizens will provide officers with information to help solve crimes.
While community policing is a relatively new concept, its ideals have long been employed.
On Saturday, the Prince George’s Police Department held its 26th Annual Community Christmas Party, handing out gifts to more than 500 children during the day. Police commanders passed out meals, and local music groups provided entertainment.
“This is such a magical time of year,” Hylton said, “and we are grateful once again to have the opportunity to provide these children with so much joy.”
