As Yakima continues to fight crime, city budget cuts continue to eat away at the Police department's ability to hire enough officers to patrol city streets. Lt. Mike Merryman says currently 143 officers are employed by the department. But Merryman says a city the size of Yakima needs 15 to 20 more officers. Merryman says while they do their best to fight crime it's also up to you to watch out for your neighbors. Merryman says it's as simple as knocking on your neighbors door and introducing yourself. Or you could call the police department for information on starting a formal block watch program. The police departments number is 575 6200.

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