Citizens and Police ... Friendship Through Education

The Houston Police Department has had a Community Service Division since the Seventies. When a group of citizens requested a presentation on a crime prevention topic, they would send one of their officers to the group and advise them what they could do to keep from becoming crime victims again. This is proactive policing. In 1982, out of the patrol division came the idea that citizens also need to know more about their police department before a crime occurred in their neighborhood. From this idea came the concept of the Positive Interaction Program, "PIP."

A police agency can be very confusing to most citizens. The Positive Interaction Program holds monthly PIP meetings featuring speakers from different divisions (Burglary and Theft, Homicide, K-9, Helicopters, etc.) explaining how their division operates. This is done so citizens will know what to expect, should they ever need the police.