Community Policing

The Amherst Police Department, in partnership with the City of Amherst, has aggressively sought grant money to assist the department to the best job for the citizen’s of Amherst. The Amherst Police Department started to apply for federal grants in 1998.

The first grant awarded was to add a police officer under the Universal Hiring Program and start a Community Policing program. The Community Policing program has had a positive influence on the way the Amherst Police Department approaches crime and problems in the City of Amherst. The traditional method of policing was for the police to identify problems and then attack them through aggressive policing. The new trend in police work is to go out and make contact with the citizens and ask them what problems they are facing. Once those problems are identified the police department, in partnership with the appropriate groups, uses problem solving to address the issues. Community Policing is also used to create an environment where crime does not have the ability to flourish. We want the City of Amherst to be a city where the lawless know they will be identified and checked out even before they have a chance to commit a crime. With this in mind please see the “Business Letter on Crime Prevention “ on the website. This communication applies to our neighborhoods also. Residents know when something is not right and are sometimes reluctant to call. You know your neighborhoods better that anyone else. If something does not look or feel right call us so we can check on the situation.

The police department also created a greeting letter to all of our new residents, however all of our residents may learn something from the letter. Please check the web site for our “Welcome Letter”.

One of the problems identified in our community by the residents is the problem of blighted homes. I had talked to our building inspector concerning this problem. Some of the blighted homes were known to all of the police officers in the department because we routinely respond to problems at those homes. The current code did not have the ability to addresses these homes.

The Amherst Police Department formed a partnership with the building inspector, a local realtor, city council, and the mayor to address the problem. All of the above cooperated and the city now has a usable property code to address these blighted homes.

I want to personally thank all of the above people that worked together to enact this code and respond to many of our residents concerns about blighted homes in the city. These homes not only have a preponderance of police calls to them but the homes also bring down the property values of the homes around them. I believe we all can agree that one homeowner should not have the right to impact, in a negative manner, the value of someone else’s property.

If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to call. The police department is committed to keeping the City of Amherst a great place to live and raise our children.

Captain Dennis Seger works countless hours, researching, applying and securing federal grant monies that are available to local law enforcement agencies.

The Amherst Police Department has many new pieces of equipment thanks to the tireless efforts of the Captain.

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