The Neighborhood Patrol Officer (NPO) program is the Lakewood Police Department’s approach to community policing. Officers assigned to each ward of the city interact daily with the residents and business owners in their assigned areas seeking to identify situations that impact the quality of life. Together with the people in the area they identify the resources available to maintain and improve the neighborhood. Often the role the officers play is not what would traditionally be thought of as “police work”, but addressing situations that are of concern to the people who live or work in a neighborhood, regardless of the nature, is the most effective means of providing safety.
