It is hard to believe that it is already May and summer
is upon us. I would like to take a
moment to share an update on a few of our work projects for this year. We just finished our agency’s first Health
and Wellness Program which promotes not only physical fitness but also assists
Officers to manage stress and nutrition.
I am very proud of our Officers because they all worked very hard to
complete the program. Our men and women
were able to assess their fitness levels which enabled them to set future fitness
goals. I watched as our Officers motivated
each other which created a very good sense of comradery among the ranks.
In addition, members of our organization participated in
this year’s first Town Hall Meeting at the Mt. Zion Church off Crisler Street
in East Canton. Officers and citizens participated
in spirited discussions and open dialogue about the current climate in our
nation regarding law enforcement and the communities they serve. That night was very informative for us and
those in attendance. We have a lot of work and follow up to do during the
course of this year, but I really think we have started on the right track and
we are headed in the right direction with the goal of building trust with our
citizenry. Our Officers have followed up with the community concerns and
issues relayed to us that evening and we are seeing the benefits of the
positive interaction.
We have really worked hard this year to increase and
improve communication with the public through social media where information is
mainly placed on the agency’s Facebook Page.
Our Community Outreach Officer has received many compliments from our
Facebook members about the growth and use of our page. I want to thank you for your words of
encouragement. We will continue to work hard
to improve our outflow of information to you and ask for you to provide us with
vital feedback on ways that we can enhance this very important tool of
communication.
In closing, we will continue to work diligently this
summer to engage with the community through positive neighborhood interactive
patrols, an increased presence of our bike officers throughout the City, and continued
proactive operations to reduce crime in identified areas of concern in an
effort to reduce criminal activity. We
take our role of service to our community seriously. Our team of hard working men and women pledge
through our core values of professionalism, integrity, honor, trust, excellence
and courage to protect our citizens every day with the goal of improving the
quality of life in our community.
Please don’t hesitate to provide the vital feedback we
need to improve our service to the City of Canton.
I pray everyone has a very safe Memorial Day weekend as
we honor those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom.
Respectfully,
Mark
J. Mitchell
Chief
of Police
