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Conway's Shop Secure Program provides peace of mind during the holiday season

"We want the customers to feel safe, we want the business owners to feel safe," Conway Police Department's Public Information Officer, said.

CONWAY, Ark. — Starting Saturday, Nov. 21, if you head out to Conway to do your holiday shopping, you might notice some extra security around the stores. 

Conway's "Shop Secure Program" has been going on for many years now. 

RELATED: Tips on how to save money while holiday shopping

The city provides extra funding for the police department to provide peace of mind to shoppers and business owners. 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Conway and Conway Police Department's Public Information Officer, LaTresha Woodruff, said that means some extra police officers roaming the streets.

"We want the customers to feel safe, we want the business owners to feel safe," she said. 

According to Woodruff, the city allocated $50,000 to the police department so they can pay officers overtime to provide additional patrolling in shopping areas during this busy season. 

"We know that there are a lot more people that come to town to go shopping here in Conway, so we just want to have that more visible presence," she said. 

That visible presence, according to Woodruff, is shown in shopping areas across the city from university commons to town center.

"We just want them to know that we'll be out there, doing what we need to do to keep them safe," she said. 

Making business owners, like Erica Cason, feel an extra sense of security for her non-profit store. 

"It's not only protecting the few employees that we have, but also our volunteers and our customers, which is huge," she said. 

Cason believes this year more than ever, the holiday shopping season paired with feeling protected is the interaction everyone needs.

RELATED: How to save money while shopping at the grocery store

"I think people are ready to get out and ready to see each other's faces, even if we are only seeing a few inches of each other's faces," she said. 

The police officers will patrol the shopping areas from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day until Dec. 26.

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