CRESTVIEW — Police Chief Tony Taylor nodded slightly as he made another note Wednesday morning during a meeting with more than a dozen residents at Tropical Palm Restaurant on Main Street.
It was the first Coffee with a Cop session, an effort to put officers out in the community to hear residents’ the needs and wants.
The monthly meetings are the first in a line of efforts to help heal the rift between the Police Department and community after details of former Maj. Joseph Floyd’s actions came to light during his recent racketeering trial.
Former Police Chief Brian Mitchell, who is charged with official misconduct, also faces trial.
“It is tremendously important to me that I meet and hear what the citizens I serve have to say,” Taylor said during a break. “With what we’ve been through, we’re going to try and make an effort to regain that trust.”
Lewis Cawood left the restaurant about 15 minutes after airing his concerns. He wanted more patrols at a particular intersection, more neighborhood watch programs and better response times on animal control issues.
He had no complaints about the department. Cawood said he is putting the Floyd scandal behind him and is looking forward to seeing what Taylor will do.
“He seems to be more sensitive to the community,” Cawood said. “We talked about what’s going on and he’s going to try and formulate better plans of action. To me, it’s positive to have the opportunity to talk to the chief.
“He even wrote down some of my ideas.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.
