Starting Oct. 22, residents seeking help from the Atascadero Police Department for “ongoing non-emergency matters” will be assigned to one of four service areas, customizing a team of patrols to specific regions within the city, according to a press release from the department.

The new effort is designed to improve communication between police and the public and enhance community outreach by giving people a single point of contact, according to the department.

Non-emergencies are described as issues “such as graffiti or nuisance abatement, landlord-tenant disputes, general public safety and improvement in the quality of life,” according to the city.

Within the new Service Area Coordinator Program, the segments cover four geographical regions using Highways 41 and 101 as boundaries, police say. Each area will be assigned to a team including a patrol sergeant as a service area coordinator, a patrol corporal and two patrol officers.

The patrol sergeant will work with callers “personally to resolve the issue or direct them to the appropriate city, county, or state agency that will be able to address their complaint,” the release says. That person could also refer callers to private or public companies better qualified to help.

“I like this plan because it gives our citizens more immediate access to our public services,” Mayor Bob Kelley said in a statement. “It makes maximum use of all agencies in a coordinated fashion.”

For more information on the program or to see who the point of contact is for a specific neighborhood, visit the Atascadero Police Department’s page on the City of Atascadero website at http://www.atascadero.org.