Sheriff's office increases community policing

The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office is putting some new programs into place to let local residents know their eyes and ears are open.

The department has opened a new 800-number tip line for the county and Nelson deputies began dropping off small post cards into resident mailboxes last month during regular night patrols.

Nelson County Sheriff David Brooks said this was a way the department was getting back to community policing.

“When we go through at night time and you’re asleep, you’d never know (we were there.),” Brooks said about the residence check cards. “Now, this is proof that we were there.”

The current cards deputies use are green with ‘Nelson County Sheriff’s Department’ in black letters and a five star sheriff’s badge printed on them.

Brooks said the department is looking at redesigning the cards to give them an updated look.

Deputies have been dropping the green cards off at businesses and churches while on patrol for years, but have just recently begun putting them into mailboxes along residential streets.

“Why should we exclude the residences when we’re patrolling,” Brooks said. “It’s people’s money, the taxpayer’s money, at work. It’s not exclusive for businesses.”

“We want the community to know that we’re in their neighborhood too, checking the streets and looking for any unusual activity that may be going on.”

Brooks said he hopes this will build confidence in some of the residents to the point where they will start talking to authorities about crime in the area if it is there.

The sheriff’s office has also set up a phone number of (877) 570-8477 or (888) 570-TIPS, for people to call in and leave messages with crime tips on it.

The phone number leads to an answering service. It’s an option for the public who want to leave information, but don’t want to talk to a live person in the sheriff’s office about that information.

Callers also have the option of remaining anonymous with the tip line.

“It’s another tool that the public can have to call,” Brooks said. “They can leave a message and if they want to be contacted back, they can leave a name and number. That information will remain confidential.”

Lt. Robbie Brooks with the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office said it didn’t matter how small the tip was but just for residents to call in and “let us know.”