DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — After a string of deadly shootings in Daytona Beach, police are taking to the streets to try to put a stop to the violence. 

It's part of a new program they plan on launching next month called "Park, Walk and Talk."

As part of the program, Daytona Beach Police officers will be required to walk around their areas for at least 30 minutes of their shift and talk to community members. 

“You have to be visible, you can’t just be riding by with the windows up, you have to the park the car, you have to get out and you’ve got to get in contact with people,” said Chief Jakari Young, who just took over the role last month after former chief Craig Capri's retirement. 

Young believes this is not a new concept, but rather one that gets back to the heart of policing. 

“It is basically us just getting back to our fundamentals of police work and it is all about community engagement, just being out here in the community so that the residents know who we are, we know who they are, so when something does occur, they don’t feel comfortable about a situation, there is no hesitation about calling us,” said Young. 

Irvin White, a business owner on Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard, stopped to chat with Young as he walked the streets. He explained he is elated to now see more officers in the area.

"Well that makes you feel more secure out here because if you be in this area, it's not very secure at all and with what has been going on down here since I purchased this building in 1998, no one did nothing about it," White said. "So I am glad to see the chief stand up and come out and clean this area up.” 

Nearby on Caroline Street, Terica Charles said she was shaken up by the recent shootings.

“It was a very concerning situation for me, especially being this close to my home," said Charles. 

But in the last few weeks, she said that has all changed.

“It is a pleasure to sit on my porch and not have to worry about helicopters flying because they are looking for somebody, or police or random cars flying down the street," Charles said. "It feels good to know that the police are out and they are in force and their presence has been made known, which has done a lot for this area."

Before that, she claims officers only came around to respond to a crime. That is exactly what Young hopes to change with this program.

“They need to see us when we are out here just to say hello, because if the only time they see us is when we are out here to take enforcement action, then that is a fail," said Young. 

He believes by taking this approach, it will benefit both the community and his officers.

“I can’t do my job effectively without knowing exactly what I am looking for and who I am looking for," said Sgt. Robert Ransom, who has been with the Daytona Beach Police Department for the last 29 years. "And it is that contact with the community that gives us the information and the resources to get our job done,” 

With the positive feedback the program has gotten so far, Young is confident it will help build strong bridges between the community and police. 

“That is the only way to do, that is the only way that this is going to be successful,” said Young. 

Young explained the only difficulty they are running into so far is having enough resources for this program. He says they have several vacancies right now and hiring more officers would certainly help them cover the area. Once they start this in Midtown, he plans to roll out the program to all areas of Daytona Beach.