Photo provided by St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office

LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — There’s cops, and then there are COPs.

If you pass a member of the Lexington Park Community Oriented Policing Unit (COPs) walking the streets or riding a bike while out and about, feel free to stop and say hello and introduce yourself, said Jennifer Stone, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer. 

The COPs Unit consists of Sergeant Clay Safford, Corporal Danny Ray, Corporal Tim Snyder, Deputy First Class Al Beishline and Deputy First Class Vince Pontorno, said Stone.

“These deputies are engaged in building relationships with the residents of Lexington Park, while also employing proactive policing techniques to detect and eliminate criminal activity in the area,” said Stone.

The job involves much more than just law enforcement to Tim Cameron, St. Mary’s County Sheriff, said Stone.

“He views his deputies as being part of a team that is also comprised of citizens who have a vested interest in the well-being of their community. He knows that crime can arise in areas where lack of community cohesiveness exists,” said Stone.

In 2013, the central area of Lexington Park was experiencing numerous issues which were affecting the residents and businesses on a daily basis, said Stone. 

“Sheriff Cameron wanted to reassure the citizens that his office would be their partner in helping to resolve these issues, so in Aug. 2013 he instituted the Community Oriented Policing Unit (COPs) in Lexington Park,” said Stone.

One method of proactive policing the COPs Unit employs is the use of police mountain bikes which has proven to be very effective, said Stone.

“They often stop to converse with local residents, many of whom they know by name. The deputies also attend community outreach events, conduct presentations such as active shooter training and drug recognition for parents.  During the school year, they visit the two elementary schools in the area on a regular basis,” said Stone. 

Of the many events the unit participates in, they attended a Back to School Blast hosted by St. Mary’s Caring.

“Deputies had the opportunity to interact with school children and their parents realizing the importance of connecting with the youth at a young age to instill in them police are “their friends and helpers” as the COPs Unit likes to say,” said Stone. 

There have been several stories during the last three years where the unit was able to identify a problematic issue within the community, develop a solution, and then apply it over a period of time, said Sergeant Clay Safford.

“I am proud of the hard work the unit members do on a daily basis and look forward to doing even more. This is by far the most rewarding job I have had in law enforcement,” said Safford.

Stepping out of police cars and walking the streets or patrolling on bikes enables the officers to interact with the community in ways they are not used to seeing, said Safford.

“Its positive police encounters and relationship building like this that are helping us to gain trust from the community, and with trust comes increased communication from the public which helps to reduce crime,” said Safford. 

For more information about the Lexington Park COPs unit, check out the website.

Contact Jacqui Atkielski at j.atkielski@thebaynet.com.