CANTON — Police in Canton are trying to stop crime before it starts. Instead of just reacting to calls, their community involvement unit is trying to address concerns before they become problems, especially in underserved areas.
People who live in there say crime is a reality on Canton's Southeast side.
“People do all kind of stealing and stuff around, you can’t trust anybody around here,” said resident, Joyce Cook.
Lt. Michael Roberts thinks the increase in crime is due to high resident turnover.
“And with that comes new people coming in, learning the area, and maybe not contributing to the well-being of everybody,” said Roberts.
But through the microgrant project, police have increased patrols and increased community engagement. And on Friday, they held a cookout for people who live at the Hunter House, a housing center that helps people with mental health and housing insecurity issues.
“We have dedicated patrols down in this neighborhood, and I’m hoping to hear some positive feedback from it. I also want to hear their concerns, I don't want to just come here and hear everything's great if things aren't,” said Roberts.
Christopher Broach has lived in Canton his entire life and thinks crime has gone down over the last year.
“It gives a lot of the people here in the community a sigh of relief. The violence has calmed down around here and they're more family oriented here in Canton than anything else,” said Broach.
Earlier this summer Vice President JD Vance said "lawlessness" runs downtown Canton, which is only a seven-minute drive from the Southeast neighborhood.
“A lot of it's just not true or exaggerated, our crime rate is what it is but a lot of factors go into that, and our crime has decreased for numerous years in a row,” said Roberts.
The department says it has seen overall crime in southeast neighborhoods drop 26% since 2021 and violent crime is down almost 18%.
"We are not a lawlessness city," said Roberts.
The department is confident they are working in the right direction.
“It's hard to see it if you're a victim of crime and you don't want to hear, 'Sorry, but your crime rate down anyway.' So, we understand the realities, and we are continuing that trend,” said Roberts.
The unit is hosting a career fair on Oct. 8 for Canton residents, specifically, for those who live in the Southeast neighborhood. They are hoping to connect them with local jobs and resources.
