Captain Bobby Martin discussed the program at the police department's community forum held at Kirkwood Adams Thursday night.
“We want you to feel safe,” Martin told a sparse audience at the event. “We want to make your business safer for your customers and employees and at home make it safer for your family.”
Martin said the program will officially be unveiled at the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce's Business Expo planned in April.
The program will extend beyond just giving tips, Martin said. It will include investigators “getting to know business owners. We're going to get out of our cars and get out on the street and let them know the Roanoke Rapids Police Department is here, let them know we're part of the community.”
The aim of the program is to make businesses and residences hard targets for criminals instead of soft targets, Martin said.
More information on the program is available by calling Martin at 252-533-2820.
Hasty at the podium.
Meanwhile Thursday, police Chief Chuck Hasty gave the audience an overview of statistics from 2015.
Uniform patrol division
Papers served: 2,823
Total incident reports: 2,400
Motor vehicle collisions: 1,113
Security checks: 5,547
Arrests: 1,090
Juvenile arrests: 49
Total charges: 2,450
The patrol division also seized 3.11 pounds of marijuana; 35.6 grams of cocaine; 51.1 grams and 40 dosage units of heroin; 161 dosage units of prescription medication and .23 grams of meth.
Criminal investigation division
Cases assigned: 414
Cases cleared: 511
Suspects arrested: 110
Total charges: 271
Canine
The department's two dogs performed 51 tracking, building, drug and explosives deployments.
They helped locate and seize 23.36 pounds of marijuana; 26 grams of heroin; 66 dosage units of prescription medication and 13 grams of other narcotics. The officers and their dogs spent 238 hours in training.
Animal control
Total calls: 1,326
Citations issued: 28
Bite investigations: 32
Animal pickups: 529
Other investigations: 3
Traffic stop data
Of those stopped 1,171 were white; 1,426 were black; 14 were Native American; 16 were Asian; 40 were other.
Thirty-four percent of the stops were for speeding; 17 percent regulatory; 13 percent equipment; 11 percent stop sign or stoplight violation.
Of the searches made after a traffic stop, 61 were white, 79 black, one Native American and one was other.
Of passengers searched, 54 percent were white; 44 percent black and 2 percent Native American.
Use of force
Out of 28,665 calls, use of force was used 61 times or .23 percent.
Of those the Taser was used 19 times; the duty weapon 13 times; empty hands 39 times; spray one time, baton one time and handcuffs five times. Hasty said the act of drawing a weapon and training it on someone is considered use of force.
Use of force was most used in 30 situations where additional officers were needed; 20 times in cases of alcohol or drug use; 14 times in acts of civil disturbance and 12 times in instances of an assault or fight in progress.
Hasty said he plans to hold the forums each quarter with each one targeting specific issues.
City Councilwoman Suetta Scarbrough, who attended the forum, told Hasty, “All of us are very proud of the police department. I'm disappointed by the participation, however we do appreciate all you do.”
