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The Support Services Unit of
MCRPD fills the gap between the traditional role of a police
department and the unique problems of a particular community.
Traditional policing uses the patrol and criminal investigations
units to provide all services to the community. This model
still works well in jurisdictions whose resident population share a
common life style and transient population is limited in scope.
In jurisdictions such as those served by MCRPD, traditional
policing lacks components that can better respond to the needs of
the larger community.
MCRPD's resident population runs from the more centralized
populace of Lewistown to the somewhat suburban lifestyle in Burnham
Borough and Derry Township to the rural community found in Bratton
Township. Drawn by industry, merchants, schools, health care
and government services, the transient population in this same area
is as diverse as the resident population. Diversity in the
community requires diversity in police services. The Support
Services Unit fills this role.
Shortly after MCRPD was formed, Chief Daniel Spang recognized the
need for support services. D.A.R.E., Drug Abuse Resistance
Education, as it was known then, became the first program of the
Support Services Unit. Officers were trained to instruct fifth
grade students at Buchanan Elementary to recognize and resist the
temptation to use illegal drugs. The program has since
expanded to serve all public and some private schools in Mifflin
County.
The next program added to the Support Services Unit was a bicycle
patrol to serve the Lewistown Business District during the summer
months. As long as anyone can remember, the business district
has served as the gathering place for young adults to socialize with
peers after business hours. This situation poses a unique
problem for police. Balancing the right of individuals to
assemble in public with the need for order and safety of the
community. The bicycle patrol allows officers one on one
contact with young adults to remind them of their responsibility as
citizens to be aware of noise levels and refrain from impeding
sidewalks and streets. Bicycles also allow officers to quickly
respond to incidents that are also as old as the practice of
gathering downtown. These incidents include speeding and
burning out in vehicles, underage drinking and altercations
resulting from relationship rivalries.
MCRPD also recognized a need to provide information to the public
about crime prevention and include citizens in the effort to reduce
crime in the community. These tasks also fell on the Support
Services Unit which offers programs about crime prevention and
assists in forming Neighborhood Block Watch.
MCRPD continues to respond to the needs of the community by
assessing the need for additional programs and reviewing the
programs currently provided by the Support Services Unit.
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