HOLLIS – The Hollis Police Department recently announced a new initiative, Community Conversations, designed to enhance communication between the department and town residents.

The three-part series will begin on Jan. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Barn Community Center, 28 Depot Rd. It will include a deep dive into prevalent crimes in Hollis, how cases are investigated and prosecuted, the community’s role in public safety as well as updates on department initiatives and strategies.

The second part of the series will be held in partnership with School Administrative Unit 41 and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The focus will be on Internet crimes against children as well as educating parents and students on how to stay safe in an online environment. It is expected that this event will be held in March.

The final part of this series will be held in partnership with School Administrative Unit 41 and the Drug Enforcement Agency. It will bring awareness to students and parents about the dangers of fentanyl and the influx of counterfeit pills being marketed as legitimate that are killing Americans at an unprecedented rate. It is anticipated that this event will be held in May.

“I am grateful for receiving feedback and input from some of our community members, who expressed their belief that it would be helpful to hold a forum to discuss prevalent crimes in Hollis, especially those involving acts of vandalism,” said Hollis Police Chief Joseph Hoebeke. “Over the course of several weeks, we worked to expand on this idea to include other important topics of great concern to public safety in our community. Specifically, those issues relative to the exposure to fentanyl and the exploitation of children through the use of the Internet, social media, and other platforms are important for public safety not just in Hollis, but in communities across the country. We are excited and happy to facilitate these community conversations and we hope our community members join us for these events.”

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