At CCOP, we’re always really interested in what other Community On Patrol Service (COPS) groups are doing in their own neighborhoods, within the U.S. and abroad. Such COPS groups typically share very similar goals, objectives and aspirations, though they may go about achieving them is some unique and different ways.
The New York Initiative (NYI) is one such example. Based in the New York City / New Jersey area, they initially elected to adopt super-hero costumes and names in the hope of capturing the attention and interest of the communities they served, but have since moved away from the costumes as they felt they were being mis-perceived as merely thrill seekers. While they have retained their super-hero names, their basic uniform typically consists of ballistic safety vests, flashlights and even a skateboard that doubles as a protective shield through the addition of some handy straps.
Interviewed recently in a “New York Village Voice” newspaper article, one volunteer who goes by the pseudonym Jack Zero noted that, much like CCOP and many other COPS groups around the country, “the team routinely responds to incidents requiring first aid.” The groups primary goal however, as noted in their Facebook page, is to prevent crime before it happens using de-escalation techniques and through their presence. The group supports, amongst other activities, crime patrols, self-defense seminars for at-risk areas, violent offender stings, secret and overt event security, humanitarian outreach, empowerment and awareness outreach.
With the recent and well publicized assaults and murder of LGBT individuals in New York City, there is undoubtedly a need for greater empowerment and awareness in the area, and NYI is actively providing patrols in those affected areas. NYI also has other “Agents of the initiative” in San Diego, Tennessee, Kentucky, Salt Lake City and Toronto, Canada.
NYI is one of a family of more than fifteen hundred or so Community On Patrol Service (COPS) groups throughout the United States, and undoubtedly hundreds of thousands more throughout the rest of the world. Many COPS groups are actually formed by local law enforcement agencies who recognize a service gap between public demands and their ability to serve those needs based on limited funding and trained personnel. Establishing COPS groups for these agencies often allows them to delegate duties to trained volunteers which do not require the training or legal powers of professional police officers, such as traffic control, elderly well being checks, special event safety, taking reports at non-violent crimes and so on. Other COPS groups develop independently through the efforts of concerned members of the public, such as NYI and CCOP. While developed independently, most of these groups work closely with local law enforcement agencies and enjoy a supportive and respectful relationship with those agencies.
With budget constraints and increasing service demands on many law enforcement agencies around the world, COPS groups are relied upon more and more by many agencies and CCOP is proud to be a part of this unique family of volunteers.