Milan police set up substation in area seeing spike in crime

MILAN, Tenn. — Three people shot and killed, two of them teenagers, all in one area. Milan police say they have zero tolerance for crime.

“It’s a lot of elderly people living here, and we don’t want them living in fear,” Milan Police Chief Bobby Sellers said. “We want to let them know we are here doing what we can to keep them safe.”

The Milan Police Department set up a substation in the Meadows of Milan Apartment Complex on Reasons Boulevard after the area full of apartments saw a spike in crime.

“They can come here and do accident reports and incident reports, and they can take their breaks here,” Chief Sellers said.

Sellers says the complex offered the police department the apartment free of charge.

“We hope it will foster some relationships with the residents in the complexes and the young people,” Chief Sellers said.

The managers from the three complexes came to the police department after two teenagers were gunned down in September at the Meadows Apartments and a man was killed in February at the Villas Apartments across the street.

“The vision and hope for this community is for people to wake up in the morning and walk outside and feel safe and certain everything will be OK,” Lt. Nick Glenn said.

Glenn, who is also over the school resource officers, says the September shooting that killed two Milan high school teens hit close to him.

“Anytime it’s involving a former student who was in the halls that I worked in, you look at it from a different angle and perspective,” Glenn said.

They aren’t just staying inside. They have three cameras surveying from above.

The cameras give officers the opportunity to see a wide range of the area.

Ultimately, the police say they want the move to spark a conversation and a relationship.

“When they see a police officer, don’t be afraid to approach them and strike up a conversation and get to know the people who are here and are sworn to protect you,” Chief Sellers said.

Officials say they are also setting up a room where investigators can look into cold cases.