New community policing team having immediate impact

By the numbers:

Dayton Community Problem Response Team Stats

(Statistics are from Nov. 18, 2013 to March 19, 2014)

Source: Dayton Police Department

A specialized grassroots policing team is having success attacking crime one tip at a time.

The Dayton Police Department’s east patrol division initialized the Community Problem Response Team, or CPRT, to tackle issues that impact the community’s overall well-being, but “take more than 20 minutes to solve,” said Sgt. Matt Beavers, supervisor of the new team.

“They were trying to figure out ways to get a group of officers who could handle the neighborhood problems,” Beavers said. “And we don’t just want to solve their problems, but to help them solve some of their problems on their own.”

Comprised of six full-time officers plus Beavers, CPRT responds to every call, from nuisance complaints to drug activity.

During an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the team in action Thursday, officers apprehended 32-year-old Jamie Grachek, wanted on complicity to murder charges out of Riverside from the 2013 robbery and killing of her husband, 45-year-old John T. Grachek. They also made arrests on two felony warrants.

The arrests can be attributed to good police work and citizens’ tips, Beavers said.

But it’s more than just crime fighting. The team participates in community events, sharing information on what’s happening in individual neighborhoods and listening to concerns. The key to success, Beavers said, is getting citizens involved in the program, encouraging them to call in complaints and work with the neighbors to solve problems.

“We need their help in identifying people, calling stuff in, working with us to clean up their neighborhoods,” he said.

The team’s already had success since getting their start in November. Most notably, CPRT made more than 30 drug-related arrests along North Smithville Road in the past month, which can be directly attributed to citizen tips and complaints. To date, the team has responded to 2,424 calls and made 649 arrests.

After a rash of vacant house arsons, officers went door-to-door talking to neighbors to share information and gather suspect descriptions. While no arrests were made, the fires have stopped, and resident and local businesswoman Jan Lepore-Jentleson said she believes that directly a result of police work.

“A lot of people felt a lot better when the arsons stopped,” she said. “I think there’s a growing feeling of improved safety in our community because of the new team.”

To contact CPRT with an issue, call (937) 222-7867.