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Erie Police Officers Walking the Downtown Beat

Some Erie police officers are back walking the beat.
It's part of a new initiative by the police department, to help make downtown Erie, safer.

It's been 20 years, since Erie police has an officer assigned to walking a beat, and now that they've brought it back, it's apparently making a difference.
Patrolman Bryan Lechner hits the streets at about 6:30 a.m., patrolling State street from 5th to 12th, and between Peach and French as well.
He's there to fight recent complaints of vagrants hanging out, panhandling and  bothering customers in downtown Erie.
So everyday this Summer, a uniformed police officer will walk the beat, for the first time since 1992.
And just in the month or so that officers have been doing it, it's apparently making an impact.

It's cutting down on the people who were hassling some of the customers, they've moved away. They see us coming now, they know we're in the neighborhood, they know we have a good rapport with the business owners, the business owners love it. As far as people walking on the streets, they're telling me they feel a lot safer. " Said Lechner.

Annie Linebach has owned The Peanut Shop at 10th and State Street for 30 years. She says she's seeing a difference, "It should, it should help, because there are quite a few strangers walk around here and staggering around here and laying on the sidewalks and it will help." Said Linebach.