– Courtesy photo / Monrovia Police Department
The Monrovia Police Department was recently awarded the James Q. Wilson Award for Excellence in Community Policing. The award recognizes California law enforcement agencies that have successfully institutionalized the Community Policing philosophy, and each year, only three agencies across the entire State are recognized for their community policing efforts.
In light of the recent award, the Monrovia Police Department has issued a commemorative award ribbon for all police department employees working on or before April 10, 2017. The commemorative ribbon bar can be worn by Monrovia Police Department employees on their Class A uniforms, and was distributed to thank and recognize all police staff .
The Monrovia Police Department received the James Q. Wilson award for their Achieving Community Trust (or “ACT”) Program. The ACT Program – which was developed in recognition of the fact that police use-of-force incidents across our country were eroding the relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve – has been recognized as an innovative way to enhance community trust in law enforcement, and was developed in cooperation and coordination with community members who shared with us reasons why they lacked trust in the police.
From those discussion, a three-pronged strategy was developed that involved listening to disaffected communities, educating Monrovia’s youth about safe interactions with law enforcement and instituting cutting-edge and innovative police officer training programs. Monrovia’s ACT Program was also previously recognized when they were awarded a $200,000 grant from the State to further implement the initiative.