Tyler Community Policing

TYLER — Community policing remains a priority of the Tyler Police Department. That means heavy involvement from citizens according to Lt. Robert Barrentine, who says, “We need their help, and we need them to be involved for us to make this a safer place to live. We want to get out into communities and do the best we can to help them with all the problems.” Barrentine, commander of the police department’s Community Response Team, appears on this week’s KTBB “Staff Meeting.” He says police want to work with residents to address not just crime, but social problems or any other issues.

Barrentine says citizen involvement can mean anything from reporting crimes to forming neighborhood watch groups. According to Barrentine, Tyler now has 79 active watch groups, up from 55 at this time last year. Programs such as Citizens on Patrol and the Citizens Police Academy are just two other examples of how you can become involved. You can go to http://www.tylerpolice.com for more information. You can also listen to the “Staff Meeting” show online at http://www.ktbb.com/audio beginning early Monday.