BUFFALO, N.Y. — Every police action is in someone’s community.

“SWAT executed three search warrants today,” said Buffalo Police Lt. Michael Long. “I believe one was on Longview, and one was on Delavan, and now this one at Hampshire and Plymouth.”

All the commotion can draw a crowd, but what happens after the police line comes down?

That's when the Buffalo Police Department’s Neighborhood Engagement Team comes in. 

“We'll go door to door in the area where they conducted a search warrant and we'll be handing out information packets,” Long explained.

It’s part outreach.

“The whole shock and awe of the search warrant thing," he said. "They kind of want to know what's going on.”

It’s also part community engagement. 

“They like seeing us out there," Long added. "Usually when we're doing this, we're doing it on foot.”

They’re armed with information packets including safety tips, city alert system information and how to make an anonymous non-emergency complaint.

“The warrant actually followed a significant amount of 311 complaints,” Long explained.

Officers can take a couple hours or a couple days to visit the 80 to 100 houses surrounding where the search warrant was executed, connecting with people in the area one on one and showing them how they can help. 

“Some people are afraid to call 911," Long said. "That's why we give them the information about the text tip and the 311 complaint line.”

It does mean something to residents.

“It shows that they care and they care about the community,” said one woman who did not want to be identified.

She said with issues in the area, seeing officers around is reassuring. 

“We need them here. We can’t take the law into our own hands," she added. "So I appreciate them coming out and checking the neighborhood and stuff like that.”

This is one of many crime determent programs this department is working on.

“What works is getting out and meeting these people,” Long said.

With more than 130 search warrants done this year alone, Long is confident the work they’re doing will help keep the people he serves safe. 

“It's kind of turned into almost an everyday kind of thing,” he said. “It's really helped build our relationship with the community.”

The size of these outreach efforts depends.

While the one Long was on was pretty standard, they do team up with federal agencies, the sheriff’s department or other community organizations when a bigger raid is done.