| Viewing Single Post From: Blog and Media Roundup - Sunday, June 28, 2009 | |
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| abb | Jun 28 2009, 05:05 AM |
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http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-1176112.cfm District 1 welcomes police return By Neil Offen : The Herald-Sun noffen@heraldsun.com Jun 28, 2009 Bookmark and Share DURHAM -- The huge sign hanging from the loading dock overhang read, "Welcome Back," and Angeloe [cq] Burch was glad they were back. "It's good to have them here again," Burch said. "We need them in the neighborhood. We need them in the community." The Durham Police Department officially returned to District 1 Saturday with an open house and community day for its new substation off Hollway Street. Until staff moved in on June 1, the district had been without a substation since March 2008 when the old location in the Joyland Shopping Center had to close because of mold and ventilation problems. The community day included tours of the 16,000-square-foot facility, entertainment, a moonwalk for the kids, hot dogs and burgers for everyone on a big outdoor grill, a few speeches and some information booths. But to Burch, more important than the food and fun was that the cops were back. He pointed across the substation's broiling parking lot, past the moonwalk, down Calvin Street. "My cousin was shot on the street, right down there," Burch said. "At the end of Calvin. My nephew" -- he turned to his right, pointing in the other direction -- was shot and left on Holloway and Hyde Park. Just left on the side of the road." His nephew survived; his cousin didn't. "We've got some problems here in this neighborhood," Burch acknowledged, "and [having the substation at its new location] puts the police right in the thick of things. It'll help them do their jobs." That's the idea, said police Capt. Winslow Forbes, the commander of the new substation. "I think being out here, we'll be able to build a better bond with the community," said Forbes, sharp in his dress whites despite the brutal mid-day heat. "We'll be able to do more community outreach. That's all hard to do when you're not actually in the district." For the last 16 months, administrative staff and officers have worked out of temporary offices at Police Headquarters. "To be honest, we weren't party of the community then," Forbes said. "Now we are. They're part of our family and we're part of theirs." And practically speaking, having the substation in the old home of Wright Machinery Co. also will help the police answer calls in the neighborhood more quickly, the captain said. That's a good thing, too, said Elizabeth Armstrong, who had come Saturday to check out the new location. "I want the police as close as they can be," said Armstrong. "That way the whole area will become a lot safer." |
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| Blog and Media Roundup - Sunday, June 28, 2009 · DUKE LACROSSE - Liestoppers | |
5:25 AM Nov 26
