Community Engagement Team (CET)

Community oriented policing is a policing philosophy that promotes and supports organizational strategies to address the causes, and reduce the fear of, crime and social disorder through problem-solving tactics and community/police partnerships. Building and maintain community trust is the cornerstone of successful policing and law enforcement.

Engagement Officers engage with local communities for outreach events and education to build partnerships and strengthen dialog and trust between the community and police.

The goal of the Community Engagement Team is to maintain and improve the quality of life within Fargo’s neighborhoods through positive interaction, communication and education.

CET actively participates in various special events, including the annual Downtown Street Fair and Holiday Lights Parade. CET helps plan these events in partnership with other community organizations such as the Downtown Community Partnership and the Business Improvement District (BID). CET also plays a role in improving security for larger events to maintain a safe and enjoyable environment for participants and attendees. This includes crowd management, traffic safety and proactive measures to address any potential issues that could arise during these large-scale gatherings. At every event, CET and other FPD officers take the opportunity to connect with the public and promote a positive relationship between law enforcement and the community.

Members of CET attend FM Pride events during the summer. CET has long sought to improve police relations with the local LGBTQ+ Community, and being part of these annual events is a key part of building that relationship.

The Fargo Police Department participates in the Faith in Blue program. Faith in Blue is a nationwide event that occurs each fall and is a partnership between faith-based organizations of all denominations and local law enforcement agencies. The goal of the event is to build safer, stronger, more unified communities and break biases. The Fargo Police Department joined with several local groups to host community events including food donations and Trunk-or-Treat candy giveaways.

Building trust and a sense of safety with the immigrant and New American communities is also a very important part of the community engagement mission. To help accomplish this, members of CET attend Liberian holiday events, helped teach classes to newly arrived immigrants in partnership with Global Refuge and sponsored swimming lessons for New American youth. CET also works with under-represented groups who were victimized by hate, threats or intimidation. This is done to convey to victims that FPD wants all members of the community to feel safe, regardless of their background.

CET also takes on a significant role in improving response to mental health calls. This includes strengthening the partnership with ND Southeast Human Services as well as with the Downtown Engagement Center. By working with these community partners, officers look at how to better help individuals experiencing mental health crisis and get them the services they need.