Dennis Holzman is the owner of Holzman Antiques in Cohoes, and he recently moved his business from Albany. 

"Having been in downtown Albany for lots of years, I did have many problems like panhandling," he said.

Holzman has been on Remsen Street for three years now, an area he feels is safe during the day. Recently, though, three people were robbed at gunpoint in the city. Police say they all occurred on Main Street in January during a 24-hour period. Detectives are still looking for suspects.

"I have two daughters," said newly-elected Cohoes Mayor Shawn Morse. "To be honest, there’s places that I wouldn’t let them walk by themselves, and my goal is to clean that up."

That's one of the reasons Morse has launched a campaign called “Safe Streets” that would add an additional shift of police detectives to work the afternoon, increase patrols in downtown and have officers walk problem areas. 

“We are going to tell people: If you think about coming to Cohoes and not be a good citizen, you’re gonna go to jail," Morse said.

The mayor says he hopes it will also provide a friendlier atmosphere while combating crime. So far, residents and business owners have taken notice. 

"People are opening up their windows, yelling out to them, 'thanks for being out here,' " Morse said, "and people have been calling from different parts of the city where they felt no one cared about them."

"I’ve had several policeman come in here, very friendly," Holzman said, "and given me their cards and told me to call them directly with any problems."

Morse says the change in patrol isn't putting a strain on the city’s budget; rather, it just requires the to department to restructure. He also says city officials are developing a new website and increasing their presence on social media.

"To me, a powerful city is an informed city," the mayor said.

Holzman agrees and hopes the new plan will attract more business owners and residents to the city of a little more than 16,000.

"What I would love to see is more businesses moving to town," he said. "We need coffee shops, bakeries; the one hardware store in town is closing."