HARRISONBURG, Va -- Donna Amaya is a mother who lives in Harrisonburg and she started thinking about her family's safety after someone threw a large rock through her front window this spring.

“It came through right here,” said Amaya. “It came through the storm panel and the inside window and broke both of them. It was a good-sized hole.”

The incident happened during early evening, while her son Kilito held a sleepover party on the other side of the window.

“I never expected this at all. I never thought I'd be vandalized,” said Kilito.

Members of Harrisonburg Police Department are working to cut crime levels in the city by switching some officers jobs to patrol instead.

Capt Dan Clayton said they hope to build a better relationship with people in the community.

“It's a team concept or approach to reducing crime, preventing crime and ensuring that our community and neighborhoods remain safe,” said Capt. Clayton.

Donna said she is thankful for more patrols. She locks her door and closely monitors her kids since vandals hit her home.

“It's pretty concerning. I know there's some not so savory activity a couple of streets over on the other side of Washington St, but it's not really come here,” said Amaya.

Amaya said this incident changed her perspective.

“You feel safe here, but that tended to disrupt that a little bit.”

The police department has yet to divide up the city into sections or zones to patrol because the program is still in the early stages.

This is not the first time a city has used this method. Roanoke implemented a similar system a few years ago and Harrisonburg's new police chief used it at his former department in Missouri.

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