Issue link: http://townofcary.uberflip.com/i/708714
Community Outreach Cary Police has taken specific steps to enhance relationships with Cary citizens, especially those in minority or underserved populations. In 2014, the Building Bridges program was created to look for outreach opportunities in the African American community. The work of Building Bridges is to identify avenues of service and involvement which would provide opportunities for African American community members to get to know their police officers in a relaxed environment and vice versa with the ultimate goal of building greater trust that will better serve the entire community. Some examples of this partnership during the second quarter include: gang awareness presentation to a Hispanic congregation at White Plains UMC; a meeting with the African Ancestry Ministry and Evangelization Network Chapter at St. Michaels to discuss potential partnerships, and safety and security presentations at Asian businesses. School Resource Officers The SRO Team worked with the K-9 Team on May 24th and 25th to conduct Sweeps at Cary High School, Middle Creek High School and Green Hope High School. This was done without notifying school administrators of the sweep until just prior to the start, a decision that was made by Dr. Merill, Wake County Schools Superintendent. On June 30, Cary Police, in conjunction with the Mt. Zion church security team and 67 congregational volunteers, held active shooter training at the church. The hour and a half training covered various shoot/don't shoot emergency drills to evaluate both the security team and the police response and interactions. Community Services Unit The increase in security assessments and safety talks (as shown to the right) were the result of the press release about home invasion precautionary information. The press release generated 120 inquiries, resulting in over 90 scheduled assessments and requests for Community Watch startup meetings in various neighborhoods. The 200% increase in robberies is attributed to a number of incidents where reported victims had their money or property taken while attempting to purchase marijuana; additionally, three of the incidents took place at one address known for criminal activity. Year to Date Crime Statistics