Danville Police Chief Christopher Yates says ‘’it’s been a long time coming’’ as he talks about two special police units hitting the street on Monday. One is a Housing Unit and the other marks the return of the POP (Problem Oriented Policing) Unit.
Yates says both units will be very fluid, identifying main issues and dealing with them. Chief Yates adds data from Staff Services and the Criminal Investigation Division will help. Later, a third special unit on Traffic Enforcement will be introduced.
The hiring of six new Danville Police officers recently has allowed the special units to be formed. Veteran officers will be the ones in the special units. Some of the training for officers in the new units had earlier been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chief Yates says the Housing Unit will not only be interacting with Danville Public Housing, but will also help open the lines of communication with management and residents at other large apartment complexes in the city.
‘’We wanted to see how these two units work together before starting the third one,’’ said Yates in an interview with VermilionCountyFirst.com News. He also noted Danville Police have been getting good feedback from the community. ‘’We’re seeing a lot of positive stuff. The guys are working their tails off, and they know they’re appreciated.’’
