Worcester Police Begin 'Summer Impact' Patrol Increases

WORCESTER, MA — More Worcester police officers began patrolling city streets on Thursday evening, part of the annual Summer Impact Program policing boost.

Under the program, the department places 18 more police officers on patrol between 6 p.m. and 2 p.m. nightly between Wednesday and Sunday. Those are peak crime hours, according to the department.

The impact program was stared in 2005 to reduce violence, but the department says it has recently turned its focus to community policing efforts — that means officers out walking streets rather than patrolling exclusively inside cars.

The impact patrols rely heavily on data from the department's crime analysis unit. The department acquired a new data tool over the winter, ShotSpotter Connect, which has been billed as a way to forecast where crime might occur.

There have been a handful of shootings over the past two months, including several at Crompton Park, and a fatal shooting along Chandler Street.

The patrols will also focus on quality-of-life crimes at parks and city beaches, the department said in a news release. Officers will also focus on fireworks enforcement.

"Our central goal will continue to be for officers to build relationships during their patrols," the news release said. "As we move forward with the program this summer, we will be working more closely with the Crime Analysis Unit in order to pinpoint time frames of increased activity. We may adjust the time of the patrols each day based on data analysis. We are hoping that our efforts will continue to help reduce and prevent violence this summer."