An editorial in the Columbus (OH) Dispatch discussed recent efforts by the City to address an increase in violent crime. The article below discusses the association between abandoned buildings and crime and how the Police Department is working in conjunction with the Code Enforcement Dept to combat it.

If you have any questions or comments about this or any other code compliance issue, please feel free to contact High Risk Specialist J. Schwegel, by email at j.schwegel@safeguardproperties.com, or by telephone at 800-852-8306, ext. 1123.

Bite out of crime
Columbus police adopt well-tested methods to stop violence, blight
Friday, August 05, 2005

Columbus? per-capita homicide rate is almost double that of New York City, but New York?s astonishing success in reducing crime over the past decade shows no city has to take violence lying down.

Though Columbus doesn?t have the police manpower of New York, Columbus has learned a few things from the Big Apple and is using its limited resources on proven crime-fighting techniques to clean up troubled sections of town.

In 1994, New York?s new police commissioner announced that his force would reduce the crime rate by double digits.

New Yorkers were skeptical, but sure enough, crime dropped that year by 12 percent. In 1995, it dropped 17 percent. Between 1993 and 2004, murders declined 76.2 percent, robberies dropped 74.2 percent and assaults were down 57.5 percent.

In twice-weekly department meetings, precinct commanders are grilled about crimes in their areas of New York and the steps being taken to prevent and solve them. Crime patterns are tracked across the city with maps and computers, using a system called Compstat, and police doggedly follow up with solutions.

No crime is too minor to merit attention, including public urination, aggressive panhandling, graffiti and jaywalking. At first, judges and state legislators were upset about the increased caseload and costs associated with prosecuting little crimes, but then all crimes, including the violent ones, started to drop.

Among the many positive effects: Police took petty violators off the streets before their crimes escalated. The arrests sent the message that the city would not tolerate lawbreaking. Police who questioned petty criminals sometimes learned about bigger fish and more serious crimes.

In most cities where the New York method has been adopted, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Providence, R.I., the crime rate has declined.

Five years ago, Columbus police borrowed some practices from New York, including mapping, spotting trends and creating strategies. But success was still elusive.

A vital ingredient was missing: solutions for the quality-of-life issues that officers can?t control, such as revitalizing rundown neighborhoods and preventing young people from joining gangs. This summer, the City Council and Mayor Michael B. Coleman approved funding for a plan to target such problems in particular areas.

This strategy addresses the so-called broken-windows theory of urban decay: Once a troublemaker sees a broken window in an abandoned building, he assumes no one cares, so he breaks all the windows. A downward spiral ensues.

Maintaining order can be just as important to residents? feeling of safety as solving crimes. Small signs of disorder ­ graffiti, litter- and weed-choked yards, young people loitering on corners ­ spread fear in a community. Put a stop to them, and the area can heal.

On June 29, Columbus leaders announced an intense effort to stop gang activity in a troubled area south of Mooberry Street and east of German Village. Research shows that a fourth of the city?s homicides are gangrelated. In this zone, police so far have rounded up 91 people who belong to gangs or are associated with them.

Next, code enforcers will crack down on owners of abandoned buildings. Litter will be collected and graffiti cleaned. Lighting will be improved.

Also, 22 social-service agencies and nonprofit organizations are finding activities for kids to keep them busy and away from gangs, including job training, mentoring and assistance for young people trying to earn highschool equivalence certificates. Five Columbus recreation centers now stay open until 11 p.m.

If "model zone," as city leaders call it, is successful, the tactic will be used elsewhere in the city.

In a separate new initiative, a police strike force of 50 officers, six sergeants and one lieutenant moves into problem areas on weekend nights. They nose around, not waiting for calls but trying to head off trouble.

For the first two weekends of the program, July 21-23 and 28-30, the strike force arrested 73 people, including a gang member with 14 rocks of crack cocaine. Ten guns and eight knives were confiscated.

Lesser actions taken recently by the city and police also help with the big picture: banning couches and mattresses from front porches, busting massage parlors for prostitution and even stopping jaywalking across High Street in front of Columbus City Center.

If these efforts are sustained, Columbus residents can hope to see the kinds of results that other cities have enjoyed.

 For online access to the article please click on the following link http://www.dispatch.com/editorials-story.php?story=dispatch/2005/08/05/20050805-A8-00.html&chck=t  

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