POCATELLO — The Pocatello Police Department has started a new Street Crimes Unit that will not only investigate crimes, but will also work with the community to combat criminal activity through a combination of education, prevention and disruption.

Pocatello police Sgt. Brian McClure is the supervisor of the new unit that will focus on a variety of issues but particularly those related to gangs, violent offenders, drugs and human trafficking. He says they’ve seen an uptick in gang graffiti and violent crimes recently and they want to do more than just respond to such incidents, they want to get ahead of them.

“We can go out and arrest people all day long, but if we’re not coordinating and preventing, it’s going to be an endless cycle,” McClure said.

He believes the community can play an important role in that effort.

The Street Crimes Unit is also known as VOICE, which stands for Violent Offender Interdiction and Community Enrichment.

“The name of VOICE is based on the foundation principle of open, transparent and constructive conversations between law enforcement, community groups, businesses and the citizens of our community,” according to a pamphlet about the new unit. “Everyone should have and has a voice in bettering our community.”

The Pocatello Police Department has partnered with the Fort Hall Police Department, Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office and the Crisis Center in Pocatello to start the unit that’s operating under a U.S. Department of Justice COPS grant.

“The grant is (part of) a partnership,” McClure said, adding that it’s important to work with Fort Hall Police Department and other law enforcement agencies throughout the region on trainings and to gather and share intelligence. “The prosecutor’s office is our legal avenue and the crisis center is because a lot of the incidents we deal have to involve them.”

The unit will be comprised of McClure and four other officers: Cpl. Akilah Lacey, Cpl. Dane Eborn, Cpl. Jake Pokorny and Officer Eric Bills.

McClure said the officers bring a variety of skills to the team: K-9 handling, public speaking and instruction, hostage negotiations and networking, among others.

“They’re all trained and experienced officers. That’s the big thing I’m excited about — the diversity within the unit,” McClure said, adding that they should be able to address nearly anything that comes up. “Someone in the unit will know or know someone who does.”

The unit plans to focus its efforts on three key areas: education, prevention and disruption.

McClure says they want to educate people about the types of crimes occurring in the area, but they also want community members to make officers more aware of their concerns and the problems they’re seeing that affect their quality of life.

“To begin a conversation and to develop progressive, responsible and effective solutions, all parties need an understanding of the issues and situations surrounding current conditions,” the Street Crimes Unit pamphlet states. “With a strong educational component, the members of VOICE not only wish to inform the community and citizens, but to be educated and informed BY the community of their specific concerns and situations.”

Crime prevention is another important factor in the unit’s plans.

VOICE wants to partner with community resources to address issues that lead to drug use, gang association, criminal activity, violence and human trafficking.

“By building community relationships and working with groups, as well as individuals, specific areas of concern can be identified, plans of mitigation developed and a joint action can be made to reduce the risk to our citizens and community,” the pamphlet states.

Prevention efforts could include implementing after school and extracurricular activities, removing graffiti and reducing blight and unsafe conditions in the community, officials said.

VOICE will also work within the legal parameters to address crimes when they do occur through fair, transparent and equitable investigation as well as apprehension and prosecution.

“The disruption of criminal and violent crime and the apprehension and prosecution of the persons or organizations responsible for those tragedies are an inevitable conclusion when individuals decide to victimize and abuse citizens and our community,” the pamphlet states.

McClure, who has been a sworn officer since 1986, says he and other officers have wanted to start a unit like this for a long time, and he’s excited that they’ve finally been able to do so with the support of Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei, the City of Pocatello, local agencies and the U.S. Department of Justice COPS grant.

He says the new unit will give the department more time to focus on education, prevention and disruption of crime rather than just having to roll from call to call and deal with the aftermath.

“We have the time and resources to do that,” McClure said.