Roanoke Rapids Police Chief Chuck Hasty plans to give the public an opportunity to critique the department at a community forum set for February 25 at Kirkwood Adams Community Center.
Time of the event is 6:30 p.m.
In the forum Hasty said he will also go over the department's 2015 statistics, from what the criminal investigation division did and what the patrol division did.
“We want input on what we did good and what we did bad,” he said.
(An application for Citizens Police Academy is included as a PDF at the end of the story)
As far as the good, the police department added a new community watch program in the Chaloner Park area and is continuing its annual Citizens Police Academy as well as its Citizens on Patrol program.
All officers have been through three days of fair and impartial police training.
Investigators, he said, have cleared numerous car break-ins which have been linked to the heroin problem. “All our murder cases were cleared last year.”
Hasty said he will provide traffic stop data to the public.
From the patrol division the chief is expected the bring news the number of wrecks is down.
As far as the bad, Hasty said, “I think we need to get more officers out in the community.”
Hasty said he believes it is important to open the department to criticism. “We can all learn from criticism.”
Citizens Police Academy
The week following the forum, March 3, the 16th edition of Citizens Police Academy begins, said Deputy Chief Andy Jackson.
Applications are currently being accepted and the organizational class gets under way at 6:30 p.m. in the first floor conference room at city hall.
The academy is open to individuals 18 and older.
Through the years, some 300 people have been through the academy, Jackson said, and about 40 have gone on to serve on the police department's Citizens on Patrol. “It's a great experience. People can ride along and see what we see. People get information about laws they don't understand. It helps open communications between the public and police.”
Jackson said there will be door prizes given away on some nights during the hour and a half classes. “We're hoping citizens will come. It will be informative and educational and the citizens will get something out of it.”
For more information on the forum or Citizens Police Academy contact the police department at 252-533-2810
