Crime and Community Involvement

"We cannot arrest our way out of this situation, It's going to take a community effort". 

This was the quote given by Chief James D. Chadwick at a recent press conference hosted by the Conasauga Safe Streets Task Force in response to the gang problem in Dalton.

The police department has been taking extra efforts in educating the public about crime and ways they can reduce their chances of being a victim.  Through these efforts, we will build partnerships with the residents of Dalton which will have long lasting effects on reducing the amount of crime in our City.

Some of the police departments efforts are listed below.

• Blog Site - One of the most profound steps has been the introduction of this blog site.  This site provided the citizens of Dalton a way of obtaining information about the department and crime in their community on a 24 hour basis.  It also allows them to ask questions about posted topics or other areas of concern.
• Public forums - The department has held two forums on gangs and one on illegal drugs.  Public Forums on personal safety and Immigration are also planned for 2007.
• Crime Prevention Information - The police department has a crime prevention officer that can provide information on effective measures to reduce your chances of being a victim.  All officers are trained to provide you with general crime prevention techniques.
• Crime Free Apartment Housing Program - This year the police department launched a Crime Free Apartment Housing Program (CFAH) for apartment complexes in the City.  This program will build long standing relationships with apartment managers and residents in the community and assist them in identifying trouble areas within their community.

We are constantly exploring new ways to provide our citizens with accurate up to date information on public safety issues", says Assistant Police Chief Jason Parker.  "We are seeing a tremendous desire by the public to obtain information straight from the souce without first being filtered.  Emphasis on public information will prove crucial to meeting that demand".