Pevely residents soon will see police officers strolling through sections of town as part of a new community outreach effort.
Chief Mark Glenn said he hopes to implement the Pevely Police Neighborhood Walk program the week of June 5, but an exact date had not been set as of Leader deadline on Tuesday, May 31.
Glenn said he doesn’t know if the Pevely Police Department ever had such a program before.
“I’ve done this at other locations where I’ve worked, but I haven’t found information about a similar program here,” he said.
Glenn said the idea is to periodically have groups of two or three officers walk around specific subdivisions or sections of town and speak with residents they encounter.
“What we want to do is create opportunities for our citizens to talk with our officers,” he said. “The goal is to make the community safer. That happens when we have these conversations, especially in informal settings.
“When we do these walks through neighborhoods, we get a better understanding of what their issues are, like suspicious cars or street lights being out. People may have questions on how to secure their homes.”
The times of the Neighborhood Walks will vary.
“We’ll do different times,” Glenn said. “It’s likely to be more in the evening times, though.”
Glenn said the department will try to alert the residents in a particular area where a Neighborhood Walk is planned.
“We’ll meet with the homeowners associations and put up signs saying these are coming,” he said. “We’ll also put the information on our Facebook page.”
Glenn said those with questions about the program may call Pevely Police at 636-475-4498 or send emails to him at mglenn@pevelypolice.org.
He said another community outreach effort he wants to try is to periodically have police briefings at the start of shifts outdoors in locations away from the Police Station.
“We’re starting our shift briefings in the community, as well,” he said. “It is to be out in the community to allow interaction with them.”