A Message from Chief Darrel Broussard

 

         The Cleveland Police Department’s ultimate mission is to safeguard the lives and property of citizens by working in partnership with the community, to reduce the incidence of fear and crime, and to enhance public safety and trust with honor and integrity, while at all times conducting ourselves with the highest ethical standards to improve the quality of life.

 

Members of the department are asked to serve the citizens with the same respect as they, themselves, would like to be received.  Distrust of the government may also mean that the police are less likely to be called when crimes occur. 

 

Many citizens in our community have been faced with economic hardships, such as the loss of jobs at major employers in our community.  Along with lost jobs, one can expect certain types of crimes to be affected.  For example, theft and burglary calls sometime increase when people seek illegal ways to get money when not working.  Unfortunately, many police departments are likely to be seriously understaffed at this time due to budget restraints.  As a police department we want to partner up with citizens to create a healthy and safe community.  It has been shown that closer social ties between the police and their community build a more responsive police-citizen relationship.  An excellent example would be to encourage more citizens to participate in the “Ride Along Program”.   Positive public relations are important for the betterment of the community and for the success of its local police department.

 

We want to encourage and be supportive of the youth of our community who want to join the ranks of becoming a Police Officer.  Hopefully, positive peer pressure will guide others too want to join, and be role models.  Some officers have planned to have after-school educational training to assist parents before it is too late, and kids drop out of school; which happens to often in this community.  Officers have said, they want to encourage the younger people to join the military, school bands, cub scouts, and other sports activities.  Each member of the department has expressed their willingness to participate in community service activities in order to give back to their community.  Through community policing efforts, it has been proven that pro-active police departments can positively impact many lives; when they truly have the drive to do so.  We, as a department, have set goals to attend civic group meetings and share topics on juvenile concerns. 

 

We want to attract and encourage our youth to stay and work in our community (many have moved to other towns).  Moving away weakens the tax base of our own community and does not generate new growth of homes or businesses.  When youth are thriving in our community, the community tends to stay vibrant.  Recreation is also a key component in a zestful community.       

 

 

 

With safe neighborhoods, parks, schools, and a reduction in crime stats in Cleveland, I believe we can make progress toward improving the total image of this city.

   

Department Objectives:                                                                             

 

 

The men and women of the Cleveland Police Department are dedicated to providing the highest quality of police services.  They are committed to being apart of the community, and sharing the commitment of future challenges that face our community.  Our staff will strive to build stronger relationships with the citizens of our community, by developing an infrastructure that will enhance safety and improving the “quality of life” for everyone visiting or living in Cleveland, Texas.

Sincerely,

Darrel Broussard

Chief of Police