LAWRENCE, Mass. — Crime numbers are down in Lawrence in 2018, and the town's police department is giving some of the credit to the new push on community policing.
Lawrence Police officers are hitting the pavement or riding through neighborhoods to meet the people they protect.
Roy Vasque, the town's police chief, is the man behind the community policing push, and said he made it a point to get his officers out on the streets when he took the job in January.
Vasque's inspiration for the move was for the officers to have face-to-face interactions with the community, and create relationships.
"In order to do that, you need to get out of the cruiser and engage in conversation," Vasque said. "Make them feel comfortable with us again, and partner with us to try and make Lawrence a better place."
Crime is down nearly 36 percent, and shootings are down 60 percent this year. Vasque said the new policy is playing a key role, allowing trust to build up between the public and the officers walking around.
"I feel like that they think now they have a voice with us, and can tell us their concerns," Vasque said. "They have someone that's really going to help them deal with an issue in their neighborhood or at their business, so I think it's been very successful so far."
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The success, in part, comes from the extra funding from Mayor Daniel Rivera and the city council to put more officers on the streets.
Since Rivera took office in 2014, about 30 officers have been added to the force. He says the growing partnership between the police and the public increases the level of safety in the area.
"The money, I think, is a small price to pay for the good will and general lift to public safety," Rivera said.