QUINCY - The Quincy Police Department is holding a town hall meeting Thursday to discuss the quality of life in the city.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Quincy Community Center, located at 115 F Street SW. 

It includes representatives speaking about animal control, the animal shelter, code enforcement, parks and recreation and law enforcement.

"It's not just going to be about crime, gangs or traffic. We're going to cover a lot of issues that the public may want to know about ... I've been wanting to do this for a while, even before the first homicide last year," Police Chief Richard Ackerman said. "It's my job as a police chief to get involved in the community."

The meeting is focused on various quality of life issues, not just gangs, crime or traffic, Ackerman said. It will include Animal Control Officer Erick Talbot, animal shelter Manager Debbie Latimer, a city representative speaking about the city's recreation program, along with the city's Code Enforcement Officer Brock Laughlin and finishing with Ackerman. 

He expects the presentations to take about 45 to 50 minutes, and plans to take questions from people attending the meeting afterward.

The meeting coincides with the start of the police department's community-based policing program, the police chief said, adding the department should have a full staff of officers on patrol by the end of the summer.

"(The program is) an effort to bring the community closer to the police officers, and create a more open dialogue with community members," he said.

Ackerman said he plans to hold the town hall meetings annually to find out what is working in the community and areas to focus on and inform residents about what the city is doing.

"We're not trying to dodge. We're not trying to hide anything. We're going to do everything we can within the law," he said. "I'm very proud of the people working for the Quincy (police department). We need to be able to work well with the community."