By Brennan David
Columbia Daily Tribune
Columbia police will play a prominent role in the future marketing of local tourism by beefing up their presence during social events and providing customer service to visitors.
Police administrators attended a seminar on Wednesday, hosted by the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau, which focused on tourism-oriented policing. The strategy is aimed at enhancing the out-of-town guest experience by providing information, security and customer service.
Officers could begin keeping local tourism brochures in patrol vehicles, said Columbia Police Chief Ken Burton. The purpose is to instantly provide guests with information they seek.
“This is a way to provide and improve service,” Burton said of policing large social events like college football games and the Roots ‘N Blues ‘N BBQ Festival. “People recognize officers as residents of the community. If a guest asks where a good place to eat is, they should be able to answer. They should be able to give directions. Look at it from” the guest’s “perspective.”
After taking a crash course in the economics of tourism, officers learned of a shift in conventional wisdom. Unlike in past years, tourists these days want a visible police presence during large social events, said Deputy Chief Jaime Ayala of the Arlington, Texas, Police Department. Security is a top priority of tourists since September 2001, which is why an officer typically can be located on nearly every block of downtown New York City, he added.
“We need to play a more prominent role in marketing tourism,” he said. “Each and every officer needs to be an ambassador ... They must be a problem solver.”
Providing simple services to out-of-town visitors can go a long way, Ayala said. For example, an officer can provide a ride for a tourist -- who doesn’t know where his or her vehicle has been towed during a football game -- to resolve the issue. Instead of giving directions to people from out-of-town, take them there, he said.
“An officer should be a jack-of -all-trades,” Ayala said of officers responding to calls and questions. “If it is not an arrest situation, that doesn’t mean you can’t fix it.”
Ayala warned that tourism-oriented policing does not function properly unless the department makes a full commitment to it.
He cited his department and the Anaheim, Calif., Police Department as leaders.
Anaheim is a tourism hub where Disneyland is located, and Arlington over the past year has hosted the Super Bowl, World Series and NBA All-Star Game.
The necessary commitment Ayala spoke of is already found in the Columbia downtown unit. The unit, headed by Lt. Chris Kelley and Sgt. Eric Hughes, has been working to solve the problems and concerns of downtown businesses and residents for the past two years.
Officers working the downtown unit have formed relationships with downtown business owners and even customers at downtown bars.
Kelley said he has witnessed officers making inroads with bar patrons when he has conducted random audits of their body cameras.
“They’re getting the high-fives,” Kelley said. “They’re getting the fist bumps.”
Although downtown officers on foot patrol will not carry tourism brochures, Kelley said the problem can be alleviated by stocking information pamphlets at a downtown substation.
Copyright 2011 The Columbia Daily Tribune