Residents and businesses with recurring problems requiring police assistance will have a couple of officers as close as a pager during an experimental program this summer.
Designed to test the concept of community policing, the department’s special assignment team consists of 19-year veteran Officer Tim Mair and Officer Scott Burkitt, a member of the force for 9 years.
“We’re just two officers who don’t have a regular shift, who can work when and where we’re needed,” said Mair, who is also the department’s crime prevention and drug education officer.
Mair said the team has identified some neighborhood-based problems to work on during the three-month program, including what to do about skateboards downtown, people drinking in a local park and keeping gang activity away from Quarry Pool.
The team probably will not distribute its pager numbers to the general public out of concern they may be paged by pranksters or on a 24-hour basis for calls that should be handled by dialing 911.
The two officers also will be available for community meetings. On Wednesday, the two donned knee pads and bicycle helmets to patrol area bike trails on their two-wheelers.
“I can see (community policing) coming in the near future,” Mair said. It’s all about people working together.”
