La Porte PD Announces Formation Of Citizens Advisory Board

LA PORTE, TX — The La Porte Police Department announced Tuesday they are developing a Citizen's Advisory Board (CAB) to foster community involvement and transparency.

La Porte Police Chief Ron Parker said the goal of the advisory board was to create a strong bond within the community, which he said is a strong crime prevention tool.

“Transparency, public trust, and accountability are vital to today's law enforcement agencies. These elements are important in community policing issues and procedural justice philosophies,” Parker said. “Police departments across the United States who failed to embrace these tenets often, fail their citizens miserably, as witnessed in various incidents across the nation. One major incident recently is riots, which in many cases are a result of the lack of trust from the communities police departments serve, and the absence of any true partnerships in building up their respective cities.”

Advisory boards have been very successful in various communities and cities across the country, including in Texas. They have the potential to allow the chief of police to hear directly from a representative group of citizens on their thoughts involving various policing issues and concerns.

The primary focus of the La Porte community's advisory board is to provide a forum with key stakeholders regarding law enforcement appearance, community policing, and interaction within the community.

The advisory board will include a wide cross-section of community members representative of La Porte, and will include 15 residents, including 2 high school students, and will include local business leaders and representatives of various educational and political backgrounds, faiths, cultures and sexual orientations.

Parker said the imagination of all members drives the board and reflects holistic views that serve as catalysts for the integration of community viewpoints into police department planning, operations and strategies.

To learn more, call 281-471-3811.

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