Poughkeepsie Police Chief Rich Wilson reported Monday to the same building where he began his career in 1994.

He first joined the department as a dispatcher. Then moved up the ranks to become captain, interim chief – and now chief.

He said that when he first started as an officer in the mid-1990s, he was a “hard-hitting, zero-tolerance [officer].”

“That's what the department – that’s what the community expected of us,” said Wilson.

He and his colleagues are now more thoughtful about what drives people to commit crimes and how to intervene in peoples' lives to prevent crime.

"You have to be adaptable in this job to have success," Wilson said during an interview in his office. "I want to be a part of the growth here."

One challenge is how to sensitively remove certain people who are addicted and/or mentally ill out of downtown and steer them to the right public services. Main Street shop owners have complained, saying the atmosphere is killing business. Some downtown residents said their friends are scared to visit them.

Community activist Carmen Lara — who is so beloved in Poughkeepsie a street corner is named after her — wants to see more police and social workers on Main Street. She said she often breaks up fights at Main and Academy streets.

"They need to be around here a lot to keep it safe and keep some of the trouble out of here," she said. "I try to do what I can. I'm 75, but I still try to do what I can."

Chief Wilson said he, his more than 80 officers, Mayor Yvonne Flowers and several community organizations are working on it. Wilson has rewritten several department policies and is planning for consistent on-the-ground community policing downtown.

He said change takes time though.

"We can only do so much to help to get them to the resources, but we want to make sure they're not slipping through the cracks and they're not forgotten about," said Wilson.