ST. MARTIN PARISH — The St. Martinville Police Department is taking a new approach to community policing by bringing officers directly into neighborhoods, hoping to build trust and strengthen relationships with the people they serve.
The department recently launched its Community Walk initiative in District One Wednesday, where officers went door-to-door, spoke with residents, and shared crime prevention information while encouraging conversations outside of emergency situations.
For longtime St. Martinville resident Frank Castille, the effort addresses more than just public safety.
"I'm a strong believer in the police force. And uh neighborhood patrolling. Uh, sometimes I think that we're, we're attacking the big problems, but sometimes the small problems are what we really need to look at also," Castille said.
Interim Police Chief Andrew Broussard said the walks are designed to help officers better understand the needs of each neighborhood while creating stronger connections with residents.
"Seeing what their needs are, seeing how we can better serve them, seeing what it is that we can do to be a better police department for them, how, how we can be a better voice," Broussard said.
The department plans to hold a Community Walk every two to three weeks, rotating through each of St. Martinville's five districts. Broussard said the goal is to maintain a consistent presence in neighborhoods and create opportunities for residents to voice concerns directly to officers.
Castille, who has lived in St. Martinville since 1960, believes those conversations are important and encourages residents to speak up when they notice something concerning.
"Too many times people are afraid to say anything, you know, they see something, say something," Castille said.
Broussard said community policing is about more than responding to calls for service.
"We're, we're more than just enforcing the law. We're bigger than that. Much bigger than that. We want to be a part of this community," Broussard said.
Castille believes building familiarity between officers and residents can make those interactions less intimidating.
"Sometimes just with a policeman. Coming up to you and you just say, well, what, what, wait, what did I do wrong, you know, but if you know the policeman, you know, he's, he's not here to arrest you if you didn't do anything wrong, so why not go ahead and answer the questions that he might have for you," Castille said.
Broussard said that trust is exactly what the department hopes to build through the Community Walk initiative.
"We don't want it to get to a point where no one in this community trusts the police or even no one in this community knows the police that's serving them," Broussard said.
The St. Martinville Police Department plans to continue rotating the Community Walks through all five districts as part of its long-term effort to strengthen relationships between officers and the community they serve.
