Public Safety Group - April 29

A City That Works - April 29
Public Safety Discussion Group at St. Gabriel's

What does this goal mean to you?

• I feel safe while walking in my neighborhood.

• We can leave children outside alone to play (2 people).

• Now we worry about gran’ma, and won’t have to if it is safer.

• I love living in the city, but am concerned about the deterioration of safety and services.

• At night there is drug trafficking and bullets flying.

• I worry that violence and crime will “force” me to move.

• Being able to do what I want without fear.

• We hear shots at night, and I want to live without fear or feeling restricted where I can go.

• Kids sit on our steps, when they could be sitting on their steps across the street, but don’t because shots were fired that way the night before.

• Those kids are doing much, some do smoke pot, but I worry that the shots will come our way next time.

• Can’t always call the police about those kids, thought police say we should.

• Reduce incentives for crime and break the cycle of policies that lead to crime increases.

Performance measures

• I’ll know its getting safer when:

    – Children are engaged in lawful activities (sports, church, volunteering) after school and into the early evening.

        ♦ Also a community presences in children’s lives – to support children in lawful activities.

        ♦ Requires parental initiative

        ♦ Replace playground so neighborhood children can play in them… restore libraries

    – Peace and quiet after curfew… when we as senior citizens can sit on their steps at night..

    – 25% reduction in homicides

    – When we can walk around the neighborhood and into center city without fear.

    – Police presence knows and interacts with broad range of people in our neighborhoods.

        ♦ Police walking the beat

        ♦ Police on bicycles

        ♦ More presence, and interaction to know us, day and night.

    – Police respond to complaints (not just emergencies) and keep you (the complainer) anonymous.

        ♦ Police follow-up on neighborhood complaints by having a presence that we know.

    – Blight reduction and neighborhood rebuilding.

    – Increase public announcements by officials about positive safety – a media campaign about increasing safety, with numbers and examples.

Customer Service Standards

• Community meetings after shootings to explain what happened.

• Web reports are okay, but not for those without computers.

• Flyers in the neighborhood explaining what happened and what police are doing will help, but want personal interaction.

• Local beat officer also good liaison

• Invite neighbors to PDAC meetings

• Increase patrols if there are repeated calls to police.

• Publish the expected standards of times for responding to different crimes (shooting, rape, burglary, etc.) and then publish how it is going in different neighborhoods.