As the Director of Community Engagement my job is to build relationships & trust with our citizens, engaging them as partners, retraining and equipping our deputies with the skills required, and having the resources necessary to fully implement a community policing philosophy aimed at enhancing the quality of life for our citizens. As with many law enforcement agencies, our goal is not only to keep our neighborhoods safe, but to build strong communities. I believe however, that the best way to do so is through non-traditional, proactive, strategic partnerships with the community instead of more formalized mechanisms that are based on traditional, reactive, enforcement-based policing. Deputies that fully understand the communities they work in, are willing to have an open and transparent dialogue with neighbors, are committed to adapting strategies where appropriate because of community concerns and priorities, are focused on establishing trust with residents, and are willing to maximize opportunities to deliver police services in partnership with the community are essential for our success.