Today, Warren Mayor James Fouts announced a new community policing effort to address resident concerns and ensure the safety of Warren neighborhoods. Fouts released the following statement to announce the program:
“I have officially directed the Warren Police Department to renew and enhance the focus on the safety of Warren neighborhoods,” said Warren Mayor James Fouts in a statement.
“The mission of Warren law enforcement is to protect and serve our residents, particularly in the neighborhoods. The Warren Halloween Fall Police Safety measures will go into full effect on Friday October 16, 2020. The net result of this initiative will be more uniformed officers on patrol in neighborhoods along with establishing positive citizen and officer relationships.
The Plan Includes the Following Objectives:
1) Officers will be assigned to a given area for directed patrol.
2) Areas of directed patrol will be determined by neighborhood complaints received by the Mayor and other city offices to combat excessive speeding, abandoned cars, and various other chronic neighborhood complaints.
3) A key focus will be placed on combating speeding on the streets with the in advance of trick or treat activity on October 31. Warren residents, particularly children, deserve to be safe from speeders with increasing darkness while kids may still be outside. Those who speed in our neighborhoods should expect enhanced enforcement and issuance of tickets.
4) Mayor Fouts has approved overtime assignments as directed by the Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer.
5) More police in the neighborhoods will also work to deter crime and assure residents that their neighborhood is safe.
6) Besides input from the Mayor, Police Commissioner and other city officials, there will also be input from Patrol officers and Community Policing Officers to identify areas of greatest concern.
7) The need for overtime is to supplement the shortage in new officers due to hiring complications with COVID 19 and increased retirement of veteran officers. The Warren Police Department and the Fouts Administration are currently aggressively advertising for more officers with an enhanced effort insure greater diversity in the ranks of our department.
“The bottom line is the focus of this initiative is to have the presence of more uniform officers in the neighborhoods to enhance safety, reduce crime and improve communication with between police and citizens.”, Mayor Fouts added.
“I communicate a regular basis with Warren residents about various issues that impact our neighborhoods. One fact is clear, residents want to see more police patrols in their neighborhoods. I have always prided myself on being the “Neighborhood Mayor” and I hear their concerns. This comprehensive plan was created to accommodate residents’ concerns. I return and receive calls from residents on a daily basis most nights until 10 PM. Residents can call me at home or at work 7 days a week, and they will always get an answer,” Mayor Fouts concluded.