ST. PETERSBURG — Bill Foster wants his officers to focus on smaller crimes to prevent bigger ones. He wants to put up security cameras, train city workers to spot criminals and give officers the power to chase the ones who flee.

Kathleen Ford wants her police force to use up-to-the-minute crime statistics to find and tackle hot spots. She thinks if the city had hired more police during the boom years, St. Petersburg wouldn't have the crime problem it does now.

Both mayoral candidates promise to find the money to hire more officers — and put them back on the neighborhood beat like they used to be.

Sound like good ideas? Police Chief Chuck Harmon thinks so. Many already are in place at the St. Petersburg Police Department, he said, the rest just won't work.

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