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Police chief outlines crisis-intervention training, new drone capability and seasonal anti-scam outreach
Summary
Chief Buchanan told the council the department trained 18 officers in crisis-intervention methods, has begun deploying drones for first-responder operations with docking stations and a real-time crime center analyst position, and will run targeted PSAs about phone and utility scams for seniors over the holidays.
Chief Buchanan briefed the council on Dec. 8 about recent policing initiatives and public-safety outreach.
The chief reported that the department completed a week-long crisis-intervention training cohort and graduated 18 officers. He said the training equips officers with de-escalation skills and mental-health awareness and noted the mayor attended the graduation.
Buchanan also announced the department received its first set of operational drones and is integrating them into a real-time crime center model. He said the city will staff a real-time crime center analyst position (a mixture of sworn officers and civilian analysts), train staff on autonomy and data analysis for drone operations, and implement docking stations for the aircraft. The chief and council discussed FAA training and certification for drone pilots and compared East Pointto nearby cities deploying similar systems.
On fraud prevention, the chief described a series of PSAs planned for social media about gift/utility/jury-duty scams and urged especially seniors to avoid urgent-payment demands and to verify claims directly with banks or utility providers. Council members asked about reaching seniors not on social media; staff suggested utility-bill inserts and other printed outreach.
Council members thanked staff for training and called the crisis-intervention work an important non-arrest tool for many calls. The chief also described holiday enforcement priorities including a "do not shoot" public-awareness campaign for New Year—s Eve.
