Rochester's mayor and police chief released the city's new policing strategy on Friday.
The reorganization plan transitions the police department from a two-division structure to a five-section patrolling model. Each section will have a captain.
There will be a total of 37 patrol beats, up from the current 22 Police Service Areas, or PSAs.
The new model has a one-time, upfront capital cost of $350,000 to get started. City officials say that pays for four additional police cars, technical equipment and renovations to the downtown substation in the Sibley’s Building.
The city plans to use forfeiture dollars to pay for the added expense.
The police department's financial plan will also go up to $326,000, which is an .38% increase to its current annual operating budget.
“It’s money well spent,” says Mayor Warren. “I think that this is something we'll all stand behind and be proud of once it's implemented and people can see and say, 'Wow, I got a chance to know that officer.'"
Police Chief Michael Ciminelli says the new plan could help lessen police response times.
"That's going to give [officers] a chance to be able to get to know the community better, to understand the problems better. And the other perspective from a police command point of view is it helps us with accountability because when there is an issue in a neighborhood we’ll know who the primary officers are that is responsible for that neighborhood."
Officials say the reorganization model was modified as a result of the community feedback from online and through neighborhood meetings.
Police officers are slated to begin their new beat patrol on March 30th, 2015.