Georgetown Assistant Police Chief Cory Tchida delivered a State of the Police Department address to the business community during the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Links event on May 16.

Tchida focused on the department’s three main strategic priorities, which include, enhancing public safety, organizational development and community engagement.

The department plans to ask for two new patrol officers for the upcoming 2017-18 fiscal year budget, Tchida said.

These officers would be trained in commercial motor vehicle enforcement and would divide their time between that and regular traffic enforcement.

Statistics presented by Tchida showed that in recent years, the department has grown by 4 percent, with additional sworn officers serving as school resource officers for the growing school district. Meanwhile, the city population has seen a 30 percent increase in the same five-year period.

Georgetown specific numbers for Part 1 crimes which include, murder, robbery and theft, remained flat during the same time period; meanwhile 911 calls increased by 466 percent and reports increased by 54 percent.

The department is also asking for $50,000 in the upcoming budget for hard-body armor that will stop rifle rounds for its officers.

Additionally, Tchida talked about a CommUNITY initiative that is underway now by the department to forge relationships with seven stakeholder groups in the city and provide opportunities for constructive dialogue and collaborative problem solving. These stakeholder groups include youth, businesses, seniors, media, faith based organizations, social services and neighborhoods groups.