The importance of establishing and maintaining officer-resident relationships was reiterated several times during a public safety at the Kent Fire Department Tuesday morning.

Most police departments don’t have the time, resources or staffing to spend a lot of effort in neighborhoods, Kent Police Chief James Peach, said. But it is essential to improve the quality of life in a community and limit violent crimes, he said.

PEACH WAS THERE HIMSELF… HMMMM.

Peach explained what Silver Meadows Apartments on the West side of Kent was like in the 1980s before his department embarked in a community police program.

“At that time, there was a great deal of crime taking place. It was typical where we went in at nighttime with no less than three cars at a time,” he said. “It was a community within a community. People didn’t have interaction with the police. Even the kids would not talk to us.”

DESIGNING??? DESIGNATING CERTAIN AREAS? .. TO THE SAME OFFICERS DAILY. SO THAT’S 20 YEARS.

Starting in 1991, the police department began designing certain areas of the city the same officers every day. Over time, residents became more trusting, Peach said. Violent crimes dropped immensely over the course of the last decade, he said.

NEVER, EVER SAY OFF OF. IT’S FROM THE CITY OF AKRON MODELS. IT’S FROM…NOT OFF OF….

Nowadays, the Kent Police department has community-policing programs and training based off of Akron models, Capt. Michelle Lee said. Officers are expected to be facilitators between police, city offices and other services, she said. There are obstacles, however.

“Some cops just don’t believe that they should be more than just an enforcer,” Lee said.

Simply arresting people doesn’t solve the problem, she said.

Until officers get out of their cars and have time to dedicate themselves, they don’t really know or understand what some of the problems are within the neighborhoods, Peach said. Doing so helps solve small problems before they expand, he said. He called it the broken window philosophy.

“When a building has a broken window and, if you don’t repair it very soon, you’re going to have a second broken window and you’re going to have graffiti,” Preach said. “Once the problem has been abated, it expands.”

THIS MAKES NO SENSE. ABATED MEANS ENDED. NOT IT EXPANDS.

A unique problem in Kent is that 62 percent of all housing is apartments, he said. Without homeowners, people don’t invest in their neighborhoods, he said.

To help the fluctuating residential community, Kent will be introducing a citizen police academy in January.

Communities that already have such educational programs have a great deal of growth and understanding between city agencies and residents, said Kent Safety Director Bill Lillich.

THIS IS BIG NEWS. AND IT’S BURIED HERE.

REWRITE IT. TRY AGAIN. PAID? UNPAID? why? they are understaffed. SO YOU HAD ALL THE AUTHORITIES IN ONE ROOM. HMMM.

“It gives a representative to the neighborhoods who is more informed and can assist the police in explaining things to their neighbors, or by giving advice on how to deal with issues, or, more importantly, how to approach the policemen when there are issues or problems,” he said.