Broadway in Newburgh has a stronger police presence as part of an initiative designed to dispatch walking officers on city streets.

Jessica Brooks has been with the Newburgh Police Department for 11 years and was recently promoted to sergeant. Brooks said getting to know community members and business owners on a personal level is what makes all the difference.

"And that's important because, typically, if we respond to calls for service, we're only going for a negative reason," Brooks said.

She and her colleagues are taking the streets by foot as part of the police department’s initiative to improve community relations and outreach. Their goal is to improve the quality of life in the city, starting with Broadway.

The department says foot patrols allow cops to immediately become aware of and address issues in real time.

Brooks is presently the only officer assigned to the beat. More are being trained.

She said visiting different businesses brings much more than a feeling of security for owners in the area.

One store owner in the area thanked Brooks and said the method of policing has benefitted locals.

It's the third week on the beat for Brooks, and the department plans to continue it after receiving feedback from the community.

"We get a lot of positive feedback from a lot of people who say that they're happy that we're here. They feel so much safer," Brooks said. "A lot of people say that we haven't done this in years, and it's true. So I'm very, very glad that people do feel safer, and they are very welcoming towards us as well, which we absolutely love. It's absolutely amazing."