A study released this fall by the Police Foundation overwhelmingly confirmed what officers have been saying for years: When a municipal police department establishes foot patrols, community relations improve and so do the officers’ problem-solving abilities.

In Norwich, where a full-time Community Policing Unit was established in late 2012, the declining crime rate is clear: While there were 2,789 incidents per 100,000 people in 2012, there were 1,976 per 100,000 in 2015 — a 29 percent drop.

While Norwich officers couldn't be reached for this story, in the past they've credited community policing for the decrease and described other benefits, including changing residents' perceptions of police and offering residents and visitors a sense of safety.

But instating regular, year-round foot patrols is easier said than done.

As outlined by the Police Foundation’s September study, which analyzed five departments across the country, patrolling on foot is manpower-intensive, can’t be gauged by measures such as tickets written and doesn’t fall within the traditional model of crime control.

In Stonington, Capt. Todd Olson said his department puts officers on the street as often as it can, but that it isn’t as often as would be ideal.

“You get concerned about situations where an officer is a significant distance from his cruiser and then a medical emergency comes up,” Olson said. “Every second is crucial with those types of calls. That’s the downfall.”

In lieu of that, he said Stonington police employ three or four community service officers, or CSOs — typically young men and women who are pursuing careers in law enforcement — to act as the department’s “eyes and ears” during the summer.

Stationed in Mystic, Pawcatuck and Stonington, the trained CSOs keep tabs on summer foot traffic, popping their heads into stores on occasion, writing parking tickets when necessary and radioing the station when they see something suspicious.

Groton Town police Chief Louis J. Fusaro Jr. said he’s been able to spare officers for full shifts on foot in Mystic, but typically only during the busy summer season on an as-needed basis.

In places like Groton City and Waterford, which lack the city grid kind of feel, chiefs said their officers have “quasi” foot patrol shifts.

Those working in Waterford, for example, are asked to hop out of their cars and walk through the town’s malls if they’re covering the area north of Interstate 95 that day, or to check in on the schools if they’re south of the highway.

“It’s a better way of communicating with the public,” Waterford Chief Brett Mahoney said. "You’re not behind a plate of glass, cruising by. You’re talking to people, shaking hands, listening to concerns, getting to know people better.”

Because Waterford doesn’t have easily walkable neighborhoods, Mahoney said police lately have been hosting “Coffee with a Cop” events at local shops in an attempt to get to know the people they serve.

He said the department this year also re-instituted its bike patrol unit, so officers on bikes would be available for events such as parades.

In Groton City, which is not much longer than 3 miles from top to bottom, police Chief Thomas Davoren said bike patrols are preferable to foot patrols, although the department puts officers on foot for special events and occasionally at Branford Manor, a 441-unit affordable-housing development.

“On bikes, they have just as many opportunities to be approachable, but if something happens, they can get there more quickly,” he said.

The department has five officers certified for bike patrol, but Davoren said he hopes to see more in the future.

Chief Margaret Ackley and Deputy Chief Peter Reichard have expressed a desire to re-instate foot patrols in New London for many years, including as recently as last year, when Ackley returned from a monthslong administrative leave.

But with low staffing levels — the department has 69 officers instead of the City Council-mandated 80 — and a budget to match, Reichard said it’s not feasible to say when residents may see cops regularly on foot again.

“I walked the beat for a number of years when I was in New Haven,” he said. “It gives officers and people a chance to connect. And on foot you see different things — things you don’t see when driving from call to call.”

New Haven, where about 60 of the city's 440 or so officers are on foot patrol, is one of the five cities the Police Foundation studied. In particular, it found that officers in New Haven reported their ability to interact with homeless and other needy residents — and their ability to point those people in the right direction as a result — made their jobs more rewarding.

“I’m all for them,” Reichard said of foot patrols. “But realistically, it’s hard to dedicate officers on foot when you have to provide basic services throughout the city to everybody.”

l.boyle@theday.com