#WINSTON SALEM POLICE DEPARTMENT HOW TO#

We can’t arrest our way out of everything. “It’s all about building trust and confidence in our community and strengthening relationships and breaking down walls and barriers. “We’re working with residents and businesses to combat that problem,” she shared. Thompson is confident that officers are on the right path to improving public safety in the Winston-Salem community. It is the fifth largest city in North Carolina 1 and, not unlike other large cities in the U.S., Winston-Salem has seen an uptick in violent crime while overall crime is trending downward. Home to a thriving arts community and a number of colleges and universities, including Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem State University, the city attracts many visitors from all over the world. Serving a population of 242,000 residents, the Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) has a sworn force of approximately 559 officers and 173 civilian employees.

#WINSTON SALEM POLICE DEPARTMENT HOW TO#

There are not many officers here that started their careers before 1989 so that’s the only way they know how to do law enforcement,” Thompson said, alluding to a 1989 shift in the department’s policing philosophy toward community oriented policing. It’s what we do,” she enthusiastically shared. Thompson doesn’t see High-Five Fridays as an extra task, a special activity, or something worth publicizing-she sees this as part of her responsibility as chief of a department that not only practices the principles of community policing, but one that embodies community policing as a way of life.

“It’s encouraging high academic performance just by letting kids know that we believe in you and we’re confident in you.” “We go to schools on Fridays and give students high-fives as they’re getting off the school bus,” she shared. However, when she noticed the impact that it had on the students, she decided to make it a weekly occurrence. It was not something she had planned-it was just something she did on her first day as chief. She also started what has become a weekly routine for Winston-Salem police officers and local students: High-Five Fridays. On Friday, September 1, 2017, Catrina Thompson assumed the role of Winston-Salem’s new police chief. The winning photo features Corporal Randall White and an elderly resident holding on to each other as he escorts her to her home. The COPS Office is pleased to feature the December 2017 winner of the Community Policing in Action Photo Contest - The Winston-Salem Police Department.

Winston salem police department