New Boone police chief plans mapping

Newly-hired Boone Police chief Dana Crawford brings a local perspective to the position.
Crawford was born and raised in Avery County and attended Lees McRae College.

Following graduation, he joined the Beech Mountain Police Department.

Crawford's background includes patrol, investigations and some communications experience with the E911 dispatch system. For the last six years, he served as assistant police chief.
"I believe in being on the job and with the guys as much as possible," Crawford said.
"I am familiar with the demographics, economy, climate and tourism industry in the area."
In addition to knowing the High Country, Crawford's employment with the Beech Mountain department has allowed him the opportunity to work with the officers of the Boone Police Department and the Watauga County Sheriff's Office.

The younger officers may have been instructed by Crawford. He has taught Basic Law Enforcement training at Mayland Community College since 1994, a job he intends to continue with evening classes.

"Teaching BLE keeps me current on trends and techniques," Crawford said.
In the coming weeks, Crawford plans to review crime statistics with the officers.
"I believe in crime mapping to determine high crime areas and figuring out statistics," he said.
Once determined, he and the officers will work toward developing specific approaches to address these areas.

Additional officer training is a long-term goal for Crawford. He plans to increase tactical, ethics, supervisory and leadership training for all officers of the department.

"We have several specialized instructors in house, such as firearms and defensive tactics," he said.

Crawford plans to utilize the in-house officers to increase training without spending town funds. In addition, he intends to seek out grants and low-cost training opportunities for officers.
"My vision is to be the best agency in North Carolina - the highest trained, most effective and most respected," Crawford said.

Crawford said he has an open-door policy for town residents. He encourages feedback and ideas from community members. Crawford can be reached by calling the BPD at (828) 268-6900 or via email at (Dana.Crawford@townofboone.net)

"The police department is a servant to the public," he said. "We are here to solve crime, but the emphasis should be on prevention. Police strategies alone are not enough, we need the cooperation and support of the citizens, businesses and schools."