Pounding pavement
Gallup Police make presence known downtown

Gallup Police officers Travis Simshauser and Valerie Wilson move east along Historic Route 66 while on the department’s new downtown foot patrol Friday. — © 2009 Gallup Independent / Cable Hoover

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Phil Stake
Staff writer

GALLUP — Being a cop is different on foot.From the curb, a police cruiser passing by is distant and impersonal, Gallup Police Officer Travis Simshauser explained while walking down Coal Avenue Friday. When officers walk the beat, they meet the people ... the shop owners and restaurant patrons and transients that frequent downtown Gallup. They learn the nuance of day to day life on the beat, and that may help them solve, and even prevent, crime.

Since Gallup Police Department launched its winter foot patrol Nov. 3, at least one business owner said he has noticed a difference.

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