The city of Flagler Beach is taking community policing to a new level, and officers are willing to meet community members where they are.

  • Flagler Beach Police Department begins "Front Porch Roll Call"
  • Program designed to bring Flagler Beach PD into businesses, homes
  • "This just gives us that little extra touch," police chief said

The police chief said his agency will come right up to peoples' front porch or business if that's what they request.

At 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day, the Flagler Beach Police Department holds its shift-change briefings. The officers normally meet to privately at the agency's headquarters to talk about crime patterns and what’s going on in the area.

Now, officers want to spend their time with business owners like John Zappas, who thinks knowing the officers increases community crime reporting and solving crimes.

"If they know the police are here for them, then they might say something," Zappas said.

Zappas said he would like to host one of the agency's debriefings on the latest crime events and patterns at his restaurant, Java Joint Beachside Grill.
The process is part of the new "Front Porch Roll Call" program where officers will hold their shift meetings at locations within the Flagler Beach community.

"It gives us more information on what to look for, what's been happening around the area," Zappas said. "We might see somebody walking down the street and they might be looking for him."

Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney made his rounds Thursday to show how the program will take place.

"We get in there, have a 45-minute briefing with them," he said. "They can see what's going on and interact with officers. This just gives us that little extra touch where they can say, 'Oh, I know officer so-and-so.'"

Doughney said the program is modeled after a successful police program he saw in South Florida.

"There shouldn't be any barriers of communication between law enforcement and the community," he said. "They should be working together like partners."

Zappas, who was a victim when his restaurant was broken into, said he hopes the new program will help keep criminal away and people more aware.

"I knew from the cameras that we have that there were people driving by at the time this was happening," he said. "Maybe somebody would have said something and he would have been caught sooner. If it showers success in Flagler Beach, I think ... everybody (in Flagler County) should be picking up on this."

If you'd like to set up a meeting, you're asked to contact the Flagler Beach Police Department at 386-517-2023.