One year after the Danville Police Department introduced two special police units, officials say the units are exceeding their expectations.
Commander Doug Miller oversees the Problem-Oriented Police (POP) Unit. He says four officers are assigned to the unit and focus on problem areas in the city and deal with ongoing criminal issues.
“They’ve not only been able to take actions and make Danville a better community, but they’ve also been able to assist patrol and free up officers to spend more time in their devoted or assigned areas,” he says.
The other special patrol is the Community Housing Unit, which oversees public housing areas such as Beeler Terrace, Fair Oaks, Green Meadows and Vermilion Gardens. The CHU is under the direction of Commander Josh Webb as part of criminal investigations.
Police Chief Chris Yates says the units provide a balance within the department so that officers can get more done.
“It’s just sort of a good marriage of different elements working together to where it’s going good,” he explains. “We’ve got a long way to go. We’re going to tweak it and keep tweaking it. It will always evolve, but so far, we’re liking the direction we’re going.”
The POP unit has been responsible for 153 warrant arrests, 34 drug arrests and 33 gun seizures so far. The community housing officers have been responsible for 402 total arrests, and 23 gun seizures since they began their special patrol last year.
