Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The Square Beat

When a police beat is created and manned for the Woodstock Square (during a hiring freeze), where does the manpower come from to staff the new beat.

The community policing approach to law enforcement has resulted in the establishment of four beats (or districts) of police patrols. The City is divided into four quadrants, and a map is available from the police department. Maybe even it will be online one of these days. Scanning it and posting it online would probably take all of about three minutes but, so far as I know, it hasn't happened yet.

But now there seems to be a fifth beat. At least, it seems so from the presence of an officer and a marked squad car on the Square for many hours of the day. Does Woodstock now have five beats? If so, where did the fifth officer come from?

Diversity is good.
Difference is good.
Contrasts are good.

But I'm quite unsure what I am going to learn from the kids sauntering around the downtown area with their caps worn sideways (most now recognize this as a "gang" sign) or bodies fouled with numerous piercings and covered with tattoos.

Sometimes I'm tempted to ask what gang they belong to. The 13ers? The 14ers? How about the chain gang? I, for one, am unwilling to see this town go down the drain because of gangs and other miscreants.

I invite everyone to stand for your right to enjoy our town - at any time, any hour, any minute of the day.

If you call the police in the middle of the night and they are slow to arrive or disinterested once they do arrive, post your comments here. Remember the police motto on the patrol cars? "To protect and to serve." We expect this. We require this. And we'll get this.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

You are always pushing for more security around the square, why dont you apply at the Woodstock P.D. and patrol it yourself. actions speak louder than words.

Kyle S. said...

Go ask the WPD about their staffing. Go ask for a copy of the beat map, scan, and post so we can all see it. I don't have time; I work. You're obiously retired.

Gus said...

An open, transparent City government or department would make such information easy to find on its website. About two years ago I suggested placing the beat map on the PD's website. That's where it belongs, so that any resident can view it.