2012 Annual Report - Hamburg Township

Community Policing
The Hamburg Township Police Department believes that the best way to address the needs of the
community is to form a close working relationship with the residents, schools and businesses of
Hamburg Township. Our officers are strongly committed to being actively involved within the
community and are dedicated to providing police service in a manner that fosters confidence,
trust and open communication between the community and the police department. Community
policing is not a program or tactic but rather a philosophy of delivering police service that has
been embraced by the officers of Hamburg Township.
Three community policing initiatives continued to be employed during 2012. These initiatives
include having school liaison officers, team policing areas and the Community Response Officer
position.
School Liaison Officers
Each school within Hamburg Township has a police officer specifically assigned to it. These
school liaison officers maintain a regular presence within their assigned schools to address any
concerns or issues that may arise and they keep open channels of communication with school
officials, parents and students. Additionally, school liaison officers conduct public safety-related
presentations and participate in school-sponsored events. The following is a list of the schools in
Hamburg Township and their assigned officer during 2012:
Lakeland Elementary: Sergeant Gary Harpe
Country Elementary: Officer Anthony Wallace
Pathfinder Middle School: Officer Megan Paul
Navigator School: Officer Alysha Garbacik
Team Policing Areas
In addition to their regular patrol duties, each police officer is assigned as a liaison to a specific
section of Hamburg Township (Team Policing Areas). Officers are responsible for engaging with
the residents and business people within their Team Policing Area including attending
neighborhood association meetings, business association meetings and community events.