PALATKA, Fla. — The new Palatka police chief, Jason Shaw, said he's trying to change the way the community and officers work together in his city.
"My goals were to bring the community or department back to the community, build community relations," Shaw said
Shaw said many times, the community knows information about crimes before the police do.
"I think when people see their leaders are interested in them, maybe that will put a damper on the crime in the neighborhoods," said neighbor Joann Hatten.
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Shaw wants to build up their trust to have a better working relationship with the public. He said he plans to do this in a couple of ways.
"We're working on our substation reopening in one of our local neighborhoods," said Shaw.
He said its about being present in the community and reaching out.
"Our officers will be partnering with our social services organizations," said Shaw
Shaw said their most frequently committed crimes are thefts and burglaries. He believes these crimes could be reduced with the introduction of police into the neighborhoods where the crime is happening.