TRAVERSE CITY — The Traverse City Police Department opened a new downtown substation, right in the heart of the business district.
The Department already had a community officer stationed downtown for the last two years, but in that time, he has never had an official office.
That all changed on Friday. The new station is going to serve as the hub of a popular Traverse City Police Department community policing program.
Downtown store owners and employees are excited about the changes.
“Public safety is a key tenant in any downtown,” said Harry Burkholder, executive director of Downtown Development Authority. “And obviously, we’re a very popular downtown with a lot of people. And so, working with the Traverse City Police Department is just a great way to make sure that our downtown is safe for those visiting, for our, our employees and all the people who live in Traverse City.”
People who work downtown say the program has been a success, and officer Jonathan Culver has become a welcome part of the neighborhood
“He is very accessible,” said Gary Bates, sous chef at Sweet Tartlette. “We have his number in our little closet over here. Everyone here is aware, if we need anything, if anyone is uncomfortable, we have his number and he can be here as fast as he can, you know, and it’s just very nice, very calming knowing that we have someone downtown in our area.”
Thankfully, the staff at this business haven’t needed to make that call---yet.
But employees at the business next door have, and they were grateful for the help
“We’ve just had a couple of trespassing issues,” said Carolyn Greenman, owner of intimi. And, like, harassment and verbal and attempted physical harassment, towards some of our staff, which we just don’t stand for here. And we don’t want our clients to be uncomfortable when they’re in the store, either. So he’s helped us navigate that situation.”
The new substation is just one of the safety focused investments the downtown development authority has helped to roll out over the years. That infrastructure is going to work to increase security.
“We’ve done things associated with cameras and additional lighting downtown,” said Burkholder. “They’re all part of a collaborative effort to enhance the safety for downtown Traverse City.”
Storeowners say they’ve noticed the changes, and they are happy to see things moving in a safer direction.
“And where my store is, is across from some of the more popular nightly rowdy bars. And so I’m just happy that there’s a presence around, and I’m glad that they’re here and I’m glad that his station is literally in my backyard.”