TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) -- City officials met Wednesday in Tallahassee to discuss ways to put an end to crime in the city. One thing they emphasized was "Community Policing".
The idea behind Community Policing is to build up support and trust with the community by having specific officers focusing on specific neighborhoods. Those living in these neighborhoods would have the chance to talk to officers and give information on how life in the area and any crime issues they face.
Some leaders say, the relationships formed using this tactic can deter potential criminals.
"In the long term, we'll come to a much better place", said Tallahassee Police (TPD) Chief Michael DeLeo, "Not only in our traditional crime, but also our customer satisfaction. Because they'll see that we're not just looking at 'We know what the problem is. What do you think your concerns are in your neighborhood and what can we do to help you address those?'"
However, some say that Community Policing does have its drawbacks, with limited numbers of officers able to do it.
Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox says that the department needs to "give enough time to regular beat officers so they have enough time to walk around and know people." He mentioned that with the limited number of officers, that can be hard to accomplish.
To combat this, leaders say that community involvement is important. They said community leaders outside of TPD need to help.
TPD is looking into adding a new juvenile service unit, and city officials discussed a proposal for the "Cure Violence" program, aimed at preventing gun violence.
