YORK, Pa. — More officers on the streets of York are helping fill a new role in the community
"These officers aren't slaves to the radio," York City Police Commissioner Michael Muldrow said.
The new program is designed to address more specific needs in different parts of the city.
"We wanted to look at being as responsible as possible on how we utilize those resources in a way that was going to allow us to make some of the biggest impact," Muldrow said.
The department added four neighborhood policing teams in East York, Central York, West York, and the downtown business district.
"It was taking a step back to the old community policing, neighborhood teams, and basically trying to give each one of our communities, somebody a name and a face that they could get to know," Muldrow said.
That updated, old-school approach aims to address the community's wide range of quality of life issues like vandalism and irresponsible landlords, among others.
"[It's] sitting down with neighbors, hearing from them, what problems are bothering them, and then having the time and the resources to act on them," Muldrow said.
Community members feel the same way.
In a statement to FOX43 – the Alliance of Neighborhoods Associations of York said:
"We hope the new Community Policing Teams will help lower response times, develop relationships, and close cases. In the past, there typically was a dedicated officer to each neighborhood association as a liaison. During the pandemic and our most homicidal year, this has fallen to the wayside. The community wants officers walking the sidewalks, and to know them by name. When there’s established lines of communication, people see each other as people. We don’t want the youth in fear of the police, and we don’t want the police in fear of the community. We are all in this together, and we all want the best for our city."
Under the latest agreements between the department and the City, additional officers are funded through 2026.
Muldrow says time is on the department's side.
"If we do this right and our officers work with fidelity, and they get out and make the impact that I expect they're going to make, I'm not much concerned about 2026," Muldrow said. "This community is going to demand it. They're going to demand that level of service."
Below is the contact information for each team.
The West District
(717) 916-1148 | westofficers@yorkcity.org
The Center District
(717) 916-1783 | centerofficers@yorkcity.org
The East District
(717) 916-0174 | eastofficers@yorkcity.org
The Downtown Business District
(717) 916-1619 | downtownofficers@yorkcity.org
