Dateline: Nashville, TN - 11/21/2004
By IAN DEMSKY
Nashville Tennessean Staff Writer
Metro Police Capt. Louise Kelton was looking forward yesterday to hitting the streets again and seeing firsthand what her officers face every day.
Yesterday afternoon was the first shift to have about 40 patrol officers added by the department across the city, including detectives and supervisors from support positions, in a program called Mission One.
Many of the department's top brass will be returning to the streets for the first time in years, including Chief Ronal Serpas. For the foreseeable future, additional officers will be assigned to Friday and Saturday patrol duties.
Kelton, who was picked to head the department's North Precinct in May, will have a little catching up to do, she said.
Before coming to that precinct she spent about 15 years in the internal affairs unit, where she didn't use a police radio or in-car computer.
It's not the first time she's had to catch up with the officers on the department's front line, she said.
After working in patrol, Kelton was assigned to the booking office. By the time she moved on to her next assignment, the department had upgraded to a digital radio system and used new dispatch codes.
Mission One ''is a great idea,'' Kelton said. ''It's been a long time coming.''
Once the new officers are trained for patrol duties, other officers can be used where they're needed most.
As a precinct commander, it ''makes a huge difference,'' she said, allowing her more flexibility assigning her officers to areas like undercover or traffic assignments.
As Serpas put it: ''It will give the men and women in the cars every day, on the front line of the force, a chance to do something a little different, like put on some blue jeans and go chase down some prostitutes and pimps and drug thugs.''
Serpas addressed the 2:30 p.m. roll call at the North Precinct station on 26th Avenue North. His first patrol shift will be next Friday.
''What's so important about Mission One for me, and I think for you, is that it reminds us that everybody started as a police officer. Everybody in the department started answering calls for service. Everyone started answering the radio,'' he told the assembled officers. ''The core mission of the police department is being in the car, answering the radio, serving the public.''
Serpas and Kelton encouraged the patrol officers, detectives, DUI officers and those from other parts of the department to learn from each other.