Plans to get three new special police units on the streets of Danville are advancing on schedule. Police Chief Christopher Yates says his Commanders have told him they will be ready by May. Six new officers who were hired earlier will complete their training at the end of April. Those new officers will allow other, more experienced officers, to form the special units.
Yates says 12 to 15 officers started going through the interview process this week to fill the special units….
{”Everything logistically to the people putting in for it, everything is on schedule,” said Chief Yates. ”We did have discussion on whether or not we may give the third unit – which is the smallest unit, Traffic Enforcement Interdiction Team – we may wait to see what the landscape looks like as far as our manning. And also how that can contribute and benefit the other units as well.”}
In addition to the traffic unit, another involves the return of the POP Unit, which stands for Problem Oriented Policing. Rather than being tied down on calls for service, officers in the POP Unit will be able to go where they are needed to address issues. And a Community Housing Unit will have officers working specifically in housing areas…learning about the problems of citizens and trying to find ways to help them face-to-face…rather than just when they call 9-1-1.
