COPs Unit Making Progress in Lexington Park
St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron knows his job is about more than just law enforcement. He knows his deputies are just one member of team that also comprises the citizens they serve. And he knows that when a community lacks cohesion, crime can fill the space, so three years ago he set out to improve those conditions for Lexington Park residents with a Community Oriented Police, or COPs Unit.
When the central portion of Lexington Park was having an increasing problem with crime, to the point that it was affecting residents and businesses on a daily basis, Sheriff Cameron began to implement a program that would make law enforcement and residents partners in stopping crime, creating a COPs Unit in Lexington Park. The COPs Unit includes Sgt. Clay Safford, Cpl. Danny Ray, Cpl. Tim Snyder, Deputy 1st Class Al Beishline and Deputy 1st Class Vince Pontorno, and these deputies work to build relationships with the residents of Lexington Park, while also using proactive policing techniques to detect and eliminate criminal activity in the area.
One part of COPs that has proven effective is the use of police mountain bicycles. Being on the bikes allows the deputies to stop and talk with residents, learning their names and their stories. The deputies also make time for community outreach events, conducting presentations such as active shooter training and drug recognition for parents. During the school year, the deputies visit the two elementary schools in the area on a regular basis.
“This is by far the most rewarding job I have ever had in law enforcement,” Sgt. Safford said. “Stepping out of our police cars and walking the streets or patrolling on bikes enables us to interact with the community in ways they are not used to seeing. It’s positive police encounters and relationship-building like this that are helping us to gain trust from the community, and with trust comes increased communication from the public, which helps to reduce crime.”
Recently, the Lexington Park COPs Unit attended a Back to School Blast hosted by St. Mary’s Caring. Deputies talked with school children and their parents, realizing how important it is to connect with young people to teach them that police are “their friends and helpers” as the COPs Unit likes to say.
“There have been several stories during the last three years where the unit was able to identify a problematic issue within the community, develop a solution, and then apply it over a period of time. I am proud of the hard work the unit members do on a daily basis and look forward to doing even more,” Sgt. Safford said.
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