Cedar Hill Police Department Makes Walking Popular Again

0
The Cedar Hill Police Department neighborhood walks have proven very successful.

‘One Door At A Time’, Cedar Hill PD Connects With Community

CEDAR HILL – Smiling faces is what we all want to see these days.

The Cedar Hill Police Department seems to have come up with a formula for big smiles.

The Police Department’s neighborhood walk with a tagline “Building Relationships One Door at a Time” is scheduled to hit the streets again for its next major event Saturday, July 31.

The Cedar Hill Police Department will lead seven teams of elected officials and city leaders door to door in a chosen neighborhood [they pick a different neighborhood each time] asking for feedback from the citizens.

According to Cedar Hill Police Chief Ely Reyes, “We have done seven walks so far, so the July 31 walk will be our eighth one in two years.”

Listening To Residents Concerns

Reyes began the program a few months after his arrival in Cedar Hill in April 2019. He was the Assistant Chief of Police of the Austin Police Department before arriving in Cedar Hill. He has served in numerous capacities for more than 20 years in law enforcement.

“I started this program a few months after I arrived here and became chief in an effort to hear directly from our community members about their concerns,” Reyes said. “I saw a need for us to be more proactive in hearing directly from our community members. We try to do the walks every other month as schedules permit.”

In March, they walked in the Cedar Crest neighborhood, located in the city’s southern sector, with 608 residences. During that walk, seven teams visited a total of 319 homes and contacted 147 residents.

Priority items from the March walk included complaints concerning gunshots being heard in the neighborhood, speeding complaints on Capricorn Street and a complaint of stray dogs in the area.

Reyes said other complaints they have heard from various neighborhoods include trash, lighting, code enforcement and traffic related issues.

people with police officers
Photo courtesy Cedar Hill Police Department

Building Positive Relationships

The Cedar Hill Police Department believes these walks and community engagement will go far in working towards building positive relationships in the community. The involvement of city departments, including the Mayor and Council Members also elevates the engagement efforts.

Reyes said they originally had the neighborhood walks scheduled quarterly. “Due to their popularity with our communities, the city council requested that we do them every two months,” he concluded. “We take each concern and ensure it is routed to the appropriate department for follow up within 60 days. This is about giving all of our community members a voice and direct access to city leaders and elected officials.”