Police Start Problem Solving Team for Communities in Southern Hillsborough

8/6/08 — The Hillsborough Police Department has assembled a Problem Solving Team to work with three communities in Southern Hillsborough.

The team’s focus is on illegal activities; trespassers; and trash disposal and littering. Members will take corrective measures to improve the quality of life for residents in Ashford Lakes Apartment Homes, Coachwood Apartments and Gateway Village Apartments.

Some corrective measures will include performing a survey of the lighting at Gateway Village and making recommendations to the management as well as establishing and routinely updating a list of trespassers in those communities to be shared with other officers.

An officer from every division of the Police Department has been selected for the team: Officer Mike Foushee from A Squad; Officer Douglas Hemingway from B Squad; Sgt. Jamie Sykes from Patrol Division; Detective June Solomon from Criminal Investigations Division; and Officer Earl Alston from Traffic Division.

The team will meet monthly to discuss ways to improve the communities. For more information or to offer suggestions, contact Officer E. Willoughby of the Community Policing Division of the Police Department at 732-2441 Ext. 24.

The targeted communities are located between interstates 85 and 40 off South Churton Street. Ashford Lakes Apartment Homes is at 600 S. Churton St.; Coachwood Apartments is at 200 Cheshire Drive; and Gateway Village Apartments is at 400 Lakeside Drive.

This is the second problem solving team that the Police Department has formed. The first team was formed in January to work with West Hillsborough. It focused on speeders in residential areas; the breaking in and entering of automobiles and residences; solicitors; a lack of mobile and stationary patrol; and a delayed call response time.

The findings of the team’s second 60-day period, in April and May, showed the team had met its goals. Police presence had improved in the area, and the addition of four officers to the patrol division had improved response time. Citations issued due to speeding decreased 27 percent, with 18 citations in April and 19 in May. The department will continue to monitor the area to ensure previous problems do not resurface.