SPRINGDALE (KFSM) -- The Springdale Police Department is working to double the amount of officers in their Crime Suppression Unit in light of the gang-related shooting near Springdale High School last week.
Capt. Derek Hudson oversees the unit and said right now they have four officers and one sergeant. He said they are planning to double the amount on the team as soon as possible, so all problem areas in the city will be covered 24-hours-a-day.
Hudson said a few months ago they switched their policing to focus on certain geographic locations. He said they are assigning officers to specific areas in hopes of building relationships with people in the community.
Interim Police Chief Mike Peters said they are also relying on their school resource officers to work with students. The department expanded their SRO program from 10 officers to 17 officers this year.
"We are going to do very aggressive enforcement, we will not tolerate the activities that have been occurring," Peters said.
The chief said they are also talking with local prosecutors about how to handle the punishment of juvenile offenders.