Crime fight adds byte

Franklin - The city's Police Department is counting on a full-time effort to stop crime before it occurs.

The Crime Prevention Bureau two months ago introduced a new full-time coordinator who is blending traditional face-to-face community outreach with web-based tools.

Officer Shawn Harrison said his job is to rekindle a dwindling Neighborhood Watch program that began in the 1980s as well as develop new inroads into the community.

A needed improvement

"Our Neighborhood Watch program needed to be revamped and we also needed to get to our business community, which is growing," Harrison said. "We currently have about six Neighborhood Watch groups."

The 11-year patrol veteran, who devoted a portion of his time to crime prevention, now will be working with other officers who make the same part-time commitment within their patrol duties.

"I think it's important to establish a single face and name with crime prevention," Garrison said. "It can be confusing working with different officers. People need someone to go to who they know."

The personal touch

Harrison plans to breathe new life into the city's crime prevention efforts by establishing monthly meetings at the police station with resident and business watchdog groups.

"It will be a great way to meet everyone, extend information, get them to know me and other officers and let them get to know each other," he said. "They can exchange information. It's a great way for everyone to see how the program works through all parts of Franklin."

He added that much of his work also will be to visit groups at their locations.

Taking advantage of technology

The other way, he noted, is on the city's web page with a link to police reports and alerts as well as a Facebook page. Harrison gives much of the credit for the technology-based effort to fellow officer Gary Wallace.

"He has been a great help," Harrison said. "Obviously, this needs to be done with the help of people who are knowledgeable about the technology."

A chief initiative

The effort also needed a nod from the top.

Police Chief Rick Oliva said the decision to move an officer from patrol to coordinate crime prevention came after much study and thought.

"This has been on my mind for a log time," Oliva said. We studied the opportunity and I made a presentation to the Common Council and they were receptive to the idea."

He said speed of information is essential.

"With the website and Facebook, we can get information out to the public as soon as possible," he said. "Our residents can download reports instead of coin into the station to get them."

Oliva acknowledged that crime in Franklin tends to be so-called lower level incidents such as vandalism, nuisance and property damage and theft.

"When you make residents and business owners aware of certain incident patterns, they can help by reporting suspicious behavior," he said. "The use of technology in particular is the wave of the future as we, like all departments, face rising costs that limit the number of professional personnel."

Harrison noted that much of the program's benefit will be to alert people to change their daily routines.

"For example," he said," if residents know of a string of vehicle auto break-ins, where the vehicles are left outside at night, they can pull them into a garage.

"Keeping lights on at night and varying the time you come and go could prevent a home break-in," he added.

A friendlier way to police

The transition from patrol officer to crime prevention has another upside, Harrison said.

"Here, you're dealing with people who are happy to see and hear from you," he said. "It's a lot more positive than being there only when something bad happens."