Greetings,
In an attempt to assist with security concerns at your location, library administration has been working with HPD in order to increase the presence of police officers at libraries. Beginning this coming Monday (possibly sooner), your location should begin seeing HPD officers coming to your locations to work on completing reports and other paperwork. They may come in to the library or may remain in their car. Either way, the hope is that their presence will act as a deterrent to misbehavior. Further, they will be readily available if needed by staff. I ask that you and your staff are welcoming, accommodating, and pleasant as you would be with any partner. They should not require too much access to staff areas other than to perhaps use the kitchen, break room, or rest rooms briefly.
In addition, we ask that you keep a record of frequency, length, and nature of visits (e.g., worked in car, public area, back room, spoke with customers/staff, etc.). This can be done by keeping a notebook at a public desk and just asking staff to note down this information as they observe a visit by HPD. In about two weeks, we will be coming back to you to get feedback on how this program is working and how often you noticed a police presence in your location. We will then share this information with HPD as we assess the usefulness of this partnership.
Because there is the possibility that officers might begin showing up as early as tomorrow, I want to request that you share this information with your staff immediately.
Please do not hesitate to call me if you or your staff has any questions about this.
Thanks,
Mike Van Campen
Chief of Neighborhood Libraries
Houston Public Library
Phone: 832.393.1371
Mobile: 713.303.1974
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