Letter from Acting Chief Lanier on Policing for Prevention   It is simple fact: when police and communities work together, our neighborhoods and our city are safer.  That is the underlying principle of community policing – what we call “Policing for Prevention” in the District of Columbia.  And Policing for Prevention remains the overall guiding philosophy of the Metropolitan Police Department.   Since its inception in 1997, community policing has contributed to dramatic reductions in crime and improvements in public safety in the District of Columbia.  And I have every confidence that community policing will continue to serve our city well in the future.   But community policing is not a static philosophy, nor is it a “one size fits all” approach that can be applied the same to each and every neighborhood. Neighborhoods are different.  Neighborhood crime problems are different.  And the resources available to deal with those problems differ from neighborhood to neighborhood. For community policing to achieve its full potential here in Washington, DC, we must be flexible in how we implement the strategy – neighborhood by neighborhood, even block by block. We must come to understand the specific problems confronting each of our neighborhoods, and we must be both diligent and creative in how we go about solving those problems, using the full range of resources at our disposal.   In short, we must tailor our community policing strategy to meet the unique needs of our unique neighborhoods. This style of “customized community policing” holds great promise to continue – and extend – the gains in public safety that our city has achieved in recent years.   While our approach to customized community policing may look different from one neighborhood to the next, some things remain constant:  For one, there must be a strong and visible police presence in all of our neighborhoods – officers on foot, bicycles, segways and scooters, in squad cars and, yes, even in cyberspace, working with the community through websites, email, listservs, bulletin boards and blogs. Second, community policing can never be a “police only” operation. By its very definition, community policing must be a partnership – a strong, active and trusting partnership – among police officers, residents, community leaders, business owners, other city departments and neighborhood stakeholders, all committed to the single goal of neighborhood safety. Third, in the post-September 11th world, we must expand the notion of community policing to include individual and community preparedness. Members of the community need to be as adept and as vigilant in spotting a potential terror threat as they are in spotting a street criminal. And they need to know how best to respond to both types of situations. For customized community policing to succeed in the District of Columbia, the community needs to fully embrace this philosophy and get actively involved in crime prevention on their block and in their Police Service Area.  This section of our website features a number of ways in which residents can become part of Policing for Prevention in Washington, DC.  But it all starts with a first step – attending a PSA meeting, joining a Neighborhood Watch or citizen patrol group, or volunteering to help the police and other service providers. And from those first steps, I know that great things can only follow. Cathy L. Lanier Acting Chief of Police