West Chatham Precinct Officer Bryan Harrell (Source: SCMPD)
Islands Precinct Advanced Patrol Officer Christopher Kersey (Source: SCMPD)SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) -
Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police have two officers now in crime prevention roles.
West Chatham Precinct Officer Bryan Harrell and Islands Precinct Advanced Patrol Officer Christopher Kersey have been appointed to the new roles.
Each of SCMPD's precincts has a crime prevention officer to educate business owners and residents on how to prevent crime and attend precinct community meetings.
The aim is to give the public the knowledge so they can aide law enforcement by taking steps toward enhancing up their own security, according to a SCMPD news release.
Harrell was assigned a crime prevention officer in January by Precinct Commander Capt. Philip Reilley. Kersey was appointed his new role by Capt. John Best.
Crime prevention officers identify high crime areas and crime patterns and then come up with plans to reduce them. They review police reports and develop plans for officers to combat crimes unique to their designated patrol area.
Harrell's new role includes visiting crime scenes and getting details from victims on how and why they were targeted, coming up with tips on how to avoid being victimized with details specific to a particular case. He emphasizes youth education programs and getting public input.
Before Kersey's new role, he implemented a Battery Point neighborhood watch group. The group helped residents get officer-conducted home security inspections, burglary protection checklists, and details on how to effectively report suspicious activity. He plans to further these initiatives.
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