Interim Chief Richard Stanley, Sargent Kevin Walsh, and Sargent Jim Walcek of the Wareham Police Department unveiled a new Citizens Participation Program to Onset residents on Saturday that seeks to increase interaction among police and community members.

The program will consist of two parallel initiatives that shake up the traditional "territories" of the police and the public.  Community volunteers will be trained to work with officers in the station house to assist visitors with directions, finding records, and other non-emergency tasks.  They will also be trained to provide coverage for special events that would normally require officers to work overtime.   This will free up officers to spend more time in the community and patrolling the streets.

Chief Stanley said that he wanted the police station to feel like it has "a big sign that says 'Open House'...just not necessarily in the cell blocks," he added jokingly.

Similarly, the chief said that every neighborhood deserved to know their police officers.

"We don't need the mirrored sunglasses and tinted windows going through the neighborhood," Stanley said.

The program is part of a range of efforts by the Department and the town to improve community public safety.

The department unveiled a fleet of eight new cruisers and an SUV on Friday, March 5, that were partially paid for by a grant from the Department of Justice.

The WPD is also seeking to become one of 35 certified departments in Massachusetts.   Selectman Jane Donahue told meeting attendees that through this process, the department is reviewing and developing some new policies and procedures in conjunction with the Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator.

The audience was given a chance to express their concerns about the neighborhood crime, and their issues - drug-dealing, alcohol, speeding, and public order complaints, particularly from youth - aligned with the problems that the police plan to target.

Chief Stanley received loud applause after vowing to put pressure on absentee landlords who rent to repeat drug offenders.

"You're not going to sit in your big house in Wellesley while Johnny Drug Dealer has fun in Onset all summer," he said.

While many audience members expressed frustration with the prevalence of drug crimes in the neighborhood, they reacted positively to the presentation and the opportunity to voice their concerns.

"People are beginning to realize that they have to have input for a safe community," said Marian Rose.  Rose, who is involved in the Onset Crime Watch, which she described as an intermediary between residents and police, said that she was impressed with the responsiveness of the police department.

"People reporting to [the crime watch] notice action," she said.  "It makes us a better organization."

She also said she appreciated the "helping attitude" of the police department.  She said that she used to feel intimidated to call the police if she saw illegal activity outside her home, fearing slashed tires and broken windows in retaliation.

"It will be a better situation," she said.  "The police aren't just putting a band-aid on it."

Chief Stanley said that the police department will repeat the presentation in different neighborhoods throughout town.

"We want the residents to know that their police officers are approachable, problem solvers," he said.  "But if we're going to change the quality of life in Wareham, we can't do it alone."