HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – The Harrisonburg Police Department has launched a brand new program aiming to cut back crime charges within the metropolis, by asking pet homeowners or canine walkers to walk their dogs of their neighborhoods.
The Dog Walk & Watch program is an initiative utilized in communities across the nation, backed by research that neighborhoods with extra dogs typically see considerably much less violent crime.
HPD officer Rebecca Bechtel, with the Community Resource Unit, stated residents who walk their dogs frequently are inspired to attend a coaching session, the place they may be taught what to search for and what to do if they arrive throughout criminality.
“It’s not about a person going and doing anything. It’s just an extra set of eyes and ears, really two sets of eyes and ears at a time, and having those people and that dog look out for what’s going on and call us so that we can keep everybody’s neighborhood safer,” Bechtel stated.
The first Dog Walk & Watch coaching session is on Thursday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. You can discover extra particulars on the placement and software by clicking here.
Copyright 2023 WHSV. All rights reserved.