The West Plains Police Department is seeking applicants to join a community advisory committee intended to address police-community relations, improvement of the department’s operations and public safety issues.
Police Chief Stephen Monticelli on Friday announced the formation of the Police Community Advisory Committee and said the group will function as a resource for the city and the police department to help create strategies, develop community policing concepts, increase public awareness, further engagement and transparency efforts, and identify best practices.
“Strengthening community-police relations requires understanding community dynamics and building individual connections between community members and their law enforcement agency,” said Monticelli. “When police and community members engage with each other, departments receive valuable feedback and assistance, while community members gain insight into how departments function.”
“One way to engage the community is to form a community advisory committee — a volunteer group that meets regularly to provide advice and perspectives to executive staff. A committee’s membership should be carefully chosen to represent different voices and needs from the community,” he explained.
The West Plains Police Community Advisory Committee will consist of eight to 10 members who will act as a sounding board on community needs and concerns while keeping the department informed of the community’s demand for police services.
Membership on the committee is open to West Plains residents or West Plains businesses.
Monticelli said members will be chosen to serve on the committee based on professionalism, integrity and commitment to the community.
Residents interested in serving on the Police Community Advisory Committee can find applications online at westplains.gov or pick an application up in the lobby of the West Plains Police Department at 1912 Holiday Lane. The deadline to submit applications is July 1; they may be turned in at the police department.
Monticelli urges prospective committee members to attend the Police Department’s Citizen Academy, the next session of which begins Sept. 7.
“Every effort will be made to select applicants that represent different sectors of the community; together, the committee should represent the interests, skills and experiences of the whole community,” Monticelli said.
