“There has traditionally been a high number of calls for service there,” he said. “But that’s a big complex, also.”

Residents are also glad to have the officers around.

“It’s always nice to have a police car in the parking lot,” said Courtney Brown, the leasing and marketing manager of the Gables complex. “Sometimes it requires some explanation, but the residents seem to appreciate it.”

“People here like to see police officers stop by and walk the area,” said Rosa Vazquez, the manager of the Villas apartment complex, which has also opened a cop shop. “They also come and walk around the pool. If one of them has a chance, they’ll stop by to say ‘hi’ and see how everybody’s doing.”

Steve Neikamp, Hurst’s police chief, said the cop shops help minimize crime by keeping officers in parts of town where their presence is needed.

“It isn’t for just hanging out; it’s a work station,” Neikamp said. “So far it’s having a positive effect on the city and the quality of life Hurst residents are interested in.”

Sanchez, who coordinates the cop shop program, said in addition to preventing crime these spaces provide officers with other benefits.

“This [also] gives us a place to let our guard down and take a break,” he said. “We can’t generally take a gun belt off and set it on the floor at 7-Eleven.”

The cop shops are equipped with a desk, chairs, a sofa, and a small dining table in addition to a refrigerator stocked with snacks and drinks provided by the building management.

The Hurst police department currently has cop shops in apartments in two of the department’s four districts and officers are in the process of setting up agreements with complexes in the remaining two.