EAST LANSING, Mich. — The East Lansing Police Department (ELPD) and Michigan State University Department of Police and Public Safety (MSU DPPS) have partnered to form the Proactive Engagement and Community Enhancement (P.E.A.C.E.) Team, which will work to address community concerns with long-term solutions on both sides of Grand River Avenue.
This newly formed team consists of MSU DPPS Det./Sgt. James Terrill, MSU DPPS Officer Falysha Edmondson, ELPD Det. Ben Mommersteeg and ELPD Det. Justan Horst. The administrative personnel that will oversee this new team include MSU DPPS Captain Sherief Fadly and ELPD Deputy Chief Chad Connelly.
“Collaborating with our community partners is not only rewarding, but necessary,” said MSU Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of Police Marlon Lynch. “We hope by implementing this new team, we can proactively show our community that we’re committed to finding long-term solutions for the safety and well-being of our community.”
The mission of the team will be to stop criminal activity before it happens, while also providing education and promoting community safety and crime prevention. The team will work to listen to the community’s concerns through participation in a variety of events and engagement initiatives.
“We are appreciative of our partners on campus for working with us to form this new, innovative team,” said East Lansing Police Chief Kim Johnson. “As we continue to work to prevent crime and address safety concerns in our East Lansing-MSU community, we believe this team will be instrumental in employing intelligence-led policing to create long-term solutions.”
The team will work to address crimes against people, crimes against property and other community safety concerns that may arise both on and off campus. It will utilize a variety of investigative methods, technology and crime analytics.
Dr. David Carter, a professor for the MSU School of Criminal Justice, says utilizing the intelligence-led policing method will benefit the community in many ways.
"It's proven that it works,” said Dr. Carter. "I think if we can make our communities safer and the community members more satisfied and supportive of police services, their quality of life will absolutely increase."
The P.E.A.C.E. Team began working collaboratively as a unit this past weekend. The team will be seen in both uniform and regular clothing, with the goal of being flexible to meet the community’s needs.
Original source can be found here.
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