By Bob Vlach
Woodford Sun Staff
Versailles Police Chief Rob Young tries to stay aware of any growth – residential and commercial – in the community because knowing what is coming helps him plan for the future.
Recently, Young had a conversation with Planning Director Steve Hunter about ongoing construction on property near Daisy Hill Senior Living. When Young was told an apartment complex is being built, he knew that will impact the workload of police officers with additional calls for service.
Likewise, Young knows retail businesses, including the new Lowe’s and Publix stores coming to Versailles, will increase the police department’s call volume because the businesses will bring a lot of people to the area who may or may not live here. From shoplifting to parking lot collisions, call volumes will rise, he said.
“With all these projects that are ongoing – both residential and commercial,” Young said increasing the number of police officers will need to be considered moving forward.
“If we increase the demand on the officers,” he added, “I’m going to need more to meet those demands,” pointing out a six-officer shift covers 192 square miles in Woodford County, so if a serious wreck happens, “that stretches our resources thin.”
In October, the Versailles Police Department (VPD) reported having 2,420 calls for service, including 50 for crimes and 63 for vehicle collisions.
Young noted much of the commercial and residential growth coming to Versailles is located on or off Lexington Road (U.S. 60 East), which will increase already high traffic volumes on a road where many of the county’s vehicle collisions (16 in October) already occur.
“It’s important for me as the chief,” said Young, “to know what goes on in our community, whether it be building and development because of the impact on calls for service; up to people that are maybe struggling on the street, whether it be homelessness or a substance use disorder.”
Young said it’s about a year-long process for someone who has not completed training to become a sworn police officer. Fortunately, the VPD is fully staffed during an era when most other police departments in Kentucky are struggling to retain and recruit officers, he said. However, being fully staffed with 48 sworn officers is a situation that he said could “change very quickly.”