Morrow Police to launch M*PACT unit

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A brand new unit will hit the streets of Clayton County next week.

The Morrow Police Department will launch its Morrow Proactively Attacking Crime Trends (M*PACT) unit on Monday.  The department will use crime data to strategically assign officers to certain parts of town.

"You have to use hard data.  Law enforcement has changed over the past 20 years that I've been doing this job.  No longer you just get in the car and drive around for eight, nine, twelve [hours].  You have to know where your hotspots are," said Chief Callaway.  "You have to connect with your community."

The M*PACT unit has two officers who will start by focusing on what Chief Callaway describes as quality of life crimes including car break-ins at local shopping centers.

"People should be able to feel safe to come here and they're going to feel safe to come here," Chief Callaway said.

The M*PACT cruisers look completely different from the rest of the police department's fleet.  The Ford Taurus Ecoboosts are extremely fast and they are outfitted with cameras and rumbler sirens, so that drivers will feel when an officer pulls them over on the roads. 

The patrol cars also include a special message to criminals, which the department started using online about a year ago--#NotInMorrow.

"Don't do it here.  You're not welcome," explained Chief Callaway.  "Don't come to Morrow.  Not in Morrow."

The department will track the M*PACT unit's progress and make changes when crime trends shift.