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Riverside County Gang Task Force Department Policy and Procedures
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I am proud to be your Chief and will work diligently to maintain your trust. Six years ago, I came to Banning as your Deputy Chief of Police. There were some members of the police department who wanted change and others who did not. There were also many in the community who wanted a more responsive and accountable police department. As a result, we overhauled our citizen’s complaint process and established a method to track complaints in order to make sure they were handled appropriately. We also held our employees accountable by administering discipline when appropriate. During the last six years, we have found that public faith in the department has grown. We also noticed the department’s image continues to improve over time. As I said when I was sworn in as your Police Chief 3 ½ years ago, I want to be “Your Chief.” I am committed to this community and so are the employees of this department. We have done our best to become more involved in this community and be more visible to our citizens. We have also tried to be as transparent to the public as possible. Last year we moved into a new “state of the art” police station and I am very proud we are housing other law enforcement agency representatives in the facility. Since 2005, the Banning Police Department housed the San Gorgonio Special Operations Gang Task Force at an off-site location in the city. The task force is managed by a supervisor from the California Department of Justice - Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement. The team is made up of law enforcement personnel from the California Department of Justice - Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Riverside County Probation Department, Beaumont Police Department, and the Banning Police Department. The gang task force is housed in the new station and they provide an extra law enforcement presence in the City to deal with gang related issues and problems. We also house the Youth Accountability Team (YAT) in our new station. The team is comprised of personnel from the Riverside County Probation Department and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. The team works closely with the Banning Unified School District and Banning Police Department personnel to identify and provide intervention for at-risk students. The team focuses on youth ages 12 – 17 with minimal history of delinquent behavior who are experiencing problems with truancy, drugs and alcohol, school behavior, family issues, and gang involvement. My focus will continue to be on Intervention and Prevention Programs. In January of 2007, the Banning Police Department re-introduced the Banning Police Activities League (BPAL) to the City of Banning. Each Saturday, during the school year, there are between 70-90 youth who play basketball, volleyball, dodge ball, or tennis with our officers and non-sworn personnel at Nicolet Middle School. The youth also skateboard and scooter at the local skate park across the street from the school. The close contact our youth have with our personnel gives them positive role models to interact with and keeps them away from dangerous activity while they are participating in our programs. The Banning Police Activities League also currently sponsors a soccer program and a Mexican Ballet de Folklorico group. The continuation and success of the BPAL program would not be possible without the collaborative effort between the Banning Unified School District and the Banning Police Department. The school district has allowed BPAL to use the Nicolet Middle School Gymnasium and other school facilities throughout the years. I am proud to say we have a strong relationship with the school district and I look forward to continuing the partnerships we have formed. We have also formed strong bonds with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the San Gorgonio Pass. BPAL and the Boys and Girls Clubs work closely in order to provide our youth with activities to take part in throughout the week. So far, we have been able to provide youth activities six days per week. The only day we have not been able to provide activities is Sunday. We have also updated our department’s web site. In order to be more transparent, we attached our policies and procedures to our web site. We have also posted our press releases, crime mapping, and monthly reports in order to let the public know what their police department is doing. During the last few years, we have experienced almost a 30% reduction in staff. We now have fewer officers, dispatchers, and front office staff because of the cuts. Even though we have faced tough cutbacks, our personnel continue to strive to provide our residents with the best service possible. Year after year, we are showing decreases in almost every crime category while our productivity continues to increase (calls for service, citations, and arrests). I feel that even though times are tough, we need to be more responsive and provide better service to our community. A bad economy or budget cutbacks are not excuses for poor service or a poor attitude. Our department is committed to maintaining high standards and delivering quality service to our residents. I appreciate that the City Manager and City Council have placed faith in me to lead this wonderful organization. I will continue to strive to be as accessible and visible in the community as possible. Chief Purvis
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