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New BRPD chief hopes to strengthen community relations in effort to fight crime
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BATON ROUGE - As T.J. Morse settles into his role as the Baton Rouge Police Department's new chief, he's hoping to tackle crime with the help of the community.
Morse laid out his plans at a Baton Rouge Press Club meeting Monday. He aims to work hand-in-hand with members of the community who will act as watchdogs for crime.
His approach to strengthening BRPD's relationship with the community entails three steps: gather, gain and give.
"The more time our officers can be with the community the better, the more we can spotlight the great things 99 percent of our officers are doing well, the better we can make those relationships so they can see we care and we do want to make a difference," he said.
Morse said he and officers hope that building trust with residents will encourage people with information about criminals to come forward.
Last week, police pleaded for information after two men were found Thursday on West Sherwood Meadow Avenue. Both survived, but less than 24 hours later, three more people were shot nearby. Two of them died.
Morse said he plans to increase patrols around "hot spots" for crime. He also hopes BRPD can gain access to more cameras around the city through the Paige-Rice Camera Initiative.
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