The Montana State University Billings Police Department is a community oriented policing agency. The University Police recognizes that a Community Oriented Policing philosophy promotes organizational strategies, which support systematic use of partnerships and problem solving techniques responsible to the needs of the university in order to proactively address the immediate conditions which give rise to university public safety and security issues.

Principles of Community Oriented Policing

  • RESPECT
  • CREATE TRUST
  • SHARE RESPONSIBILITY
  • EDUCATION
  • ACCOUNTABILITY
  • PROBLEM SOLVE

Community policing is:

SERVICE ORIENTED - promoting the concept of the university students, faculty, staff and visitors as our clients and our department as the provider. The needs of the university become the goals of the department in delivering professional services that are effective and provide for accountability.

PARTNERSHIPS - are objectives to determine university needs and policing priorities to promote police accountability and effectiveness. This includes allowing non-police members in the decision making process.

PROBLEM SOLVING - actual and potential causes of crime and livability concerns within the university community can be jointly identified. Problem solving includes conflict resolution and other creative methods to address service delivery.

EMPOWERMENT - creating a sense of mutual responsibility and joint capacity for addressing problems and issues of concern to the university.

ACCOUNTABILITY - seeks to make the police responsible to the university. Mechanisms are established through which the police are accountable for addressing the needs and concerns of the university.