Briana Dickerson, 36 / Community Resource Officer, Roanoke City Police Department
Briana Dickerson
Hometown native Briana Dickerson completed her police training in 2014, working previous assignments on Patrol, as a Crimes Against Persons Detective and as a Special Victims Detective. She now serves as a community resource officer in the community engagement team. Her responsibilities include solving problems with innovative approaches to law enforcement, finding other ways to assist our community and individuals to reduce repeat offenses. She gets to know our citizens by attending neighborhood watch meetings, providing safety talks to local schools, churches and organizations, serving on the city’s Code Enforcement Team, establishing relationships with the homeless population for housing and assistance and attending community events such as DEA Drug Take Back, RPD Reads and Homework Helpers. “My passion for the Roanoke community is strong. I believe deeply in Community Policing. I believe in genuine, even vulnerable, interactions and relationship building within the Roanoke community. I believe in inclusion, understanding, transparency and treating each person as a human and with respect regardless of circumstance. My hope, goal and impact with community interactions are that I hear you, I see you, I understand you and we see each other as we are.”
- Serves as a Community Resource Officer in the Community Engagement Team, which includes but not limited to: special projects on matters of community relations and partnership building; serve as a referral source to citizens in need of services; attend Neighborhood Watch meetings; provide safety talks to local schools, churches, groups/organizations, and businesses; distribute crime prevention tips to businesses and residents; serve on the city’s Code Enforcement Team; provide resources and establish relationships with homeless population for housing and other forms of assistance; work closely with property owners and managers to mitigate areas of concern.
- Attend community events, such as National Night Out, DEA Drug Take Back Event, Lea Youth Outdoor Basketball League, RPD Reads, Homework Helpers
- Senior Sidekick
From the Nomination: “Officer Briana Dickerson has been serving the city as a Community Resource Officer in the Community Engagement Team. With her love for helping others, she has dedicated herself to solving problems with an innovative approach to law enforcement. In order to reduce repeat offenses of trespassing or litter within the homeless population, she finds other ways to assist both the community and the individuals. … Officer Dickerson gets to know the individuals and works with other city departments and non profit organizations to find solutions such as mental health support, homelessness assistance, veteran's benefits, or addiction recovery programs. Although making a quick arrest or charge may temporarily solve a problem, Officer Dickerson takes a caring approach to help those in need and find long term solutions to community issues and disputes. When she receives complaints about neighborhood problems, she takes the time to ensure that she investigates the problem and offers individualized solutions. Her compassion and love for helping actually correct problems instead of just providing temporary ‘band-aid’ style assistance shows that she is not your typical law enforcement officer. She goes above and beyond to help her neighbors and community every day. … Officer Dickerson is not your typical police officer. She takes the time to get to the root of the complaints and issues such as neighborhood disputes, homeless camps, trespassing complaints, etc. Instead of offering a quick fix, she collaborates with other government agencies or community assistance agencies to ensure those involved are left better off or with better tools to fix their particular problems.”
What do you love about Roanoke?
Dickerson: “It’s home! I’m born and raised in the area. Left several times and always returned. There is healthy city life with an abundance of outdoor things to do. I appreciate that Roanoke is always growing, but maintains the small town feel. I also appreciate the history this area has.”
How does your passion impact our community?
Dickerson: “My passion for the Roanoke community is strong. I believe deeply in Community Policing. I believe in genuine, even vulnerable, interactions and relationship building within the Roanoke community. I believe in inclusion, understanding, transparency and treating each person as a human and with respect regardless of circumstance. My hope, goal and impact with community interactions are that I hear you, I see you, I understand you and we see each other as we are.”