At a virtual meeting held on June 6, representatives from the Tucker Police Precinct discussed the role of its community service aides in the city.
Lt. N. Tyner from DeKalb’s East Precinct introduced the program to the 20 or so attendees. CSAs are civilian employees who handled low-level calls that do not require a dedicated police presence, like investigating abandoned vehicles, traffic management, investigations, and animal complaints. They undergo 15 weeks of intense training before hitting the streets in their specially marked service vehicles.
Tucker Precinct Maj. Matthew Harden said the CSA program “is a huge benefit for this community.”
“We have a group in training now and you will see them on the streets in the Tucker precinct in the next few weeks,” Harden said.
Harden also briefly discussed crime statistics in the Tucker area, saying that “we are doing very well, with numbers down in almost every area.”
“However, just because crime is down, if you are the victim of a crime, this doesn’t mean a lot because it still has happened to you,” he said. “That’s why we look at things in a broader context rather than looking at the numbers.”
Several attendees complimented the police for their quick responsiveness.
Fran Mohr said she saw a group of people walking slowly down her street, and her call to 911 resulted in officers arriving in less than five minutes.
“It turns out that these people were going through mailboxes, and having the police there so quickly made me very happy,” she said.
During the meeting, officials announced the next “Coffee with a Cop” will be held June 26 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Lawrenceville Highway Starbucks location.
In addition, the next Citizens Training Academy deadline for registrants is Aug. 9. The class runs from Aug. 21 to Oct. 23.
