Tampa Police Adopt Street Engagement Model

I recall back in May of 2011, while speaking in front of the Board of County Commissioners, Victor Crist inquiring about the future of the Homeless Initiative, he asked: "Have other agencies reached out to you to share your strategy with a larger audience?" My answer at the time: "No they haven't, but I anticipate that will happen."

In February 2012, that salacious anticipation was satisfied after receiving an Email from Master Officer Dan McDonald with the Tampa Police Department which read:

"My name is Dan McDonald, I'm a police officer at TPD and have been assigned to the newly created position of homeless liaison officer."

"I'm wondering if I could take a few minutes of your time, at your convenience, to discuss how you perform your job and to get ideas about what works and doesn't work for my position."

This was the first significant milestone in terms of interagency jurisdictional expansion of the organic growth variety. "Organic growth" may very well be lofty business terminology for law enforcement work but tepid restraint has its merit in the evolutionary process of fits and starts in passing the stress test of the street when administering new initiatives. Particularly, initiatives that may be seen as radical or unorthodox for its time.  For the Homeless Initiative to organically franchise into other jurisdictions it would have to do so based on its own perceived virtue as witnessed by others and not me. 

McDonald's Email was the first sign of this tipping point with an idea that spills over into a new boundary. There is a difference between a concept being embraced and being forced-fed. For a new initiative to fundamentally work with long term sustainability it must be embraced and that is the definition of organic growth and appeal at the street level.  

Since McDonald's first Email communication we have blurred our jurisdictional lines working together hand-in-glove to fast track the Tampa Police Department street engagement model. The answer to homeless recovery starts on the street where the problem is -- not in a boardroom, and Master Officer McDonald has been a devoted journeyman to this mantra of the street engagement and homeless recovery assistance.

McDonald made it clear to me early on, "We're not interested in kicking the can down the road any longer," he said. He added, "We want to solve these problems and help people get off the street and into a stable living situation."

Deputy Steven Donaldson

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

District III

Office: (813) 247-0330

Email:  sdonalds@hcso.tamp.fl.us

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