Following a full-court press by concerned Cedar Hill neighbors, the police department decided Tuesday the neighborhood will not lose its walking beat cop after all.
Lt. Kenny Howell, district manager for East Rock and Newhallville, had said on Monday that he would have to put an end to the walking beat in Cedar Hill, due to shift changes after contractually required shift bidding. Read about that here.
Cedar Hill neighbors vociferously opposed the moved. Neighborhood activist Rebecca Turcio said she and other neighbors called and emailed the police department “like bandits” Tuesday to try to keep their walking beat cop.
Her efforts paid off in the form of a phone call from Police Chief Dean Esserman. Turcio said Esserman called her Tuesday to personally assure her that Cedar Hill will have a beat cop.
It won’t be Officer Charles Tyson, the cop who has been walking Cedar Hill this year, said Lt. Jeff Hoffman, who’s in charge of patrol. Tyson will be replaced with another cop, to be determined, Hoffman said.
“I sat down with Lt. Howell. We looked at his day shift staffing and we both agreed that he actually — even with losing one of his two 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. people — has enough staff to put one of his guys out there walking,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman said the department will have to reassess staffing in November after sergeant promotions move up to 17 officers up from patrolmen.
More cops will hit the streets in the spring, after graduating from police academy and four months of field training. The department is currently down at least 102 cops, said police spokesman Officer Dave Hartman.
Turcio welcomed the news. “I am excited. I’m happy,” she said.
