Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- The Columbia Police Department is cracking down on community criminals around Lyon Street.
Sarah Gregory has been living in the Gonzales Gardens community of Columbia for eight years and doesn't think they're much different than most neighborhoods.
"Everybody out here we have families, children, you know, husbands, fathers, parents, whatever, we're just people too," she said.
But CPD's Proactive Community Enforcement team, or PACE, has been getting a number of calls about narcotics, prostitution and gang related activities. Today began phase one of the Lyon Street initiative.
Sgt. Daniel Wesley supervises the program and says that this isn't a one-time occurence.
"This is not going to be the type of operation where we come in, put people in jail and leave," he said. "But actually come out here, address the issue, identify, do investigations, make the arrests as needed and put programs out in the community to help with the quality of life."
Officers combed the area looking for suspicious activity. After talking with and identifying the suspicous people, they are looked up in the system and arrested on site if they have warrants. Sarah Gregory said the program is already making a difference.
"From where we started to now I think they (CPD) have done a wonderful job," Gregory said.
Wesley said the problems aren't even coming from the residents, they're coming from outsiders.
Wesley hopes that the bond between the Columbia communities and PACE continues.
"This is the citizen's police department, we are their police department we are here to serve them and we're willing to do whatever we can to help them," he said.