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SC Police: If They Won't Come to Us, We'll Come to Them

SANTA CRUZ, Calif.- Santa Cruz Police hit local neighborhoods to stop the rise in crime hitting city streets.  Central Coast News' Brooke Holmquist got an exclusive look at an old idea that has new legs.

Santa Cruz Police have adopted a new mantra lately: "If they won't come to us, we'll go to them."

"The first notion that people get about cops is that they aren't approachable so this is a good first step," said Anna Marie Tuazon who lives in Felix St. in the heart of the high-crime area.

It's actually the same motto two officers had in the past for the area in the city known as the Beach Flats near the boardwalk; it was an area once infamous for high crime.

"It's night and day there from when I first started, it's completely night and day," said Officer Bill Azua. 

"The residents down there didn't know how to contact the police, and so us talking to them gave them confidence, and they started calling us," recalled Officer Juan Gallegos.

So with two shootings, multiple sexual attacks, and drug-related problems in the downtown area on the edge of Pacific Avenue, police are going back to what has worked.

"At first we don't know why we're there...and when we explain to them they're more comfortable they give us information," said Azua.

Partnering with the community to turn the tide on crime, "It's been scary for us...just knowing that the cops are going around and actually want to see community involvement that's important especially for the families out here," said Tuazon.

Santa Cruz Police say for as long as staffing levels will allow, they hope to have an officer at every neighborhood door in one of the communities, at least 7 days a week.