The Franklin Police Department will have a greater presence in East Franklin through a partnership with the Friends of the Greenway.
The nonprofit organization has donated space in FROG Quarters for officers to use as a satellite office and to provide a space for the bicycle that the officers use for bike patrols along the Greenway. FROG Quarters is located on East Main Street, just before the bridge crossing the Little Tennessee River.
FROG board member Rita St. Clair said when the police chief approached her about the idea, she presented it to the board which thought it would be a good partnership.
“FROG agrees that a greater presence in East Franklin is important and particularly on the Greenway,” she said. “It was important that we could add this community support.”
FROG co-chair Larry Rasche added, “The concept of a greater police presence on the eastern gateway to downtown makes good sense. People visiting the Greenway and the Friends of the Greenway Quarters and shop can have a greater awareness of the presence of our police department in this section of town this way.”
FROG has given officers 24/7 access to the building so they can use it to prepare and file reports while patrolling on that side of town, rather than driving back across town to the station on Palmer Street. They have a designated parking space for a police vehicle.
Police Chief Devin Holland said having a location for officers to work on that side of town will be helpful and will reduce response time.
“A lot of our calls, especially vagrancy calls, come from that side of town,” he said.
The chief also said it seems that since the hospital moved to its new location off the Hwy. 441 Bypass that they are getting more calls to the hospital. With the future development of the Nikwasi Initiative’s center near the Nikwasi Mound and the installation of the Women’s History Trail statue, he expects traffic in that area will continue to increase.
“I feel like there is a need for more police presence,” Holland said. “I can tell a difference already. We are getting positive feedback from the staff and Greenway users.”
Rasche agreed. “With growth and new development coming to this section of town, the eastern gateway into downtown, and the Franklin Police Department being responsible for community protection everywhere in our town, this idea makes very good sense,” he said.
The police chief said having the patrol bike stationed at FROG Quarters will make it more convenient for officers to periodically patrol the Greenway. Previously, with the bike being stored at the police department, officers would have to put the bike on their car, drive across town, unload the bike and then when patrols were completed, repeat the process to take the bike back to the police station.
“Now, they can go open the door, get the bike and hit the Greenway,” Holland said. “It’s a lot more convenient. This is the first step to a better set-up.”
At this time, the police department’s office at FROG Quarters is for officer use only and is not open to the public. Officers are not always on site, and any police business should still be conducted at the police department office on Palmer Street.
The police chief said a goal for the future is to have a satellite office on that side of town that will be open to the public on a regular basis. “This is a step in the right direction,” Holland said.
Rasche said, “Those of us who volunteer at Friends of the Greenway and those who work at the FROG Quarters and shop have already gotten to know Chief Holland and many of his officers and new productive relationships have been formed.”