Mayor Craig has been working since day one to keep Manchester a safe and healthy place to live, work, and raise a family. By collaborating with the Police Department, Fire Department, Health Department, and community partners the City of Manchester is providing services that help protect vulnerable residents, and ensure the safety of everyone in the city. There is still more work to be done, but the city has seen success in reducing crime for 5 years in a row across the city, expanding services, and getting people the help they need.
Improving Public Safety:
- In 2021, leveraged COPS grant funding to add 10 new police officers to the Manchester Police Department, resulting in the largest complement we’ve ever had
- Increased the amount of annual training for our officers from 8 to 40 hours — focusing on de-escalation, use of non-lethal force, implicit bias and cultural responsiveness.
- Increased the number of officers on patrol during overnight shifts.
- Passed an violent crime reduction initiative in partnership with the Police and Health Departments through the American Rescue Plan to have Community Health Workers respond to non-violent check condition calls
- Implemented CompStat360, developing a framework for MPD to more effectively address gun crime by engaging with community stakeholders and developing strategies to solve issues
- Support the Highway Department’s effort to address environmental issues, primarily in neighborhoods that experience chronic violent crime, through things
like street sweepers, increased trash collection, additional street lights and trimming
overgrown vegetation. - Support the Manchester Police Department to take the 30×30 Pledge, which establishes a goal of 30% female officers in all ranks by 2030.
- Fully-funded investigative overtime and foot patrols for MPD to prevent violent crime and solve cases sooner.
- Worked to make the MPD more accessible to our community by adding substations in Veterans Park and Arms Park, and establishing an LGBTQ+ liaison in the Police Department for the first time.
- Opened lines of communication between downtown business owners and police officers by increasing foot patrols, and investing in community policing, a measure that ensures our officers build relationships in the neighborhoods they patrol.
- Fully-funded body cameras for the Manchester Police Department officers for the first time ever.
- Joined Manchester Police officers for regular ride-alongs.