HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/06/2018 11 Comprehensive Community Safety Plan Vision 2025BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
AGENDASTATEMENT
Item No. 11.
For Meeting of: March 6, 2018
ITEM TITLE: Comprehensive Community Safety Plan Vision 2025
SUBMITTED BY: Ana Cortez, Assistant City Manager
SUMMARY EXPLANATION:
Staff presents DRAFT Comprehensive Community Safety Plan- Vision 2025 for council
consideration. The Plan provides a framework for programs and activities that further the
wellbeing and safety of City residents.
ITEM BUDGETED:
STRATEGIC PRIORITY:
APPROVED FOR
SUBMITTAL:
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
BOARD/COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Upload Date
D safety plan usion 227/2018
safety usion 2`282018
Type
Coker Memo
Coker Memo
2
MEMORANDUM
To: City Manager, Cliff Moore
From: Ana Cortez, Assistant City Manager
Date: March 6, 2018
Subject: Comprehensive Community Safety Plan- Vision 2025
Under the guidance of the City of Yakima Public Safety Committee, staff embarked on a
process to develop a safety plan that connects three areas of priority for the City: youth,
domestic and neighborhood safety. The original purpose of this plan was to guide the work and
funding of anti -gang activities. However, we quickly discovered that we needed to broaden the
focus and that we could not engage in a youth/gang discussion without also addressing general
safety and domestic violence.
On January 30, 2018, staff presented the first draft of Vision 2025 to the Public Safety
Committee. On February 1, 2018, staff presented a second draft to the full Council at its briefing
session. The second draft was also presented to a group of community-based organizations on
February 21, 2018. The following agencies attended the convening or provided input for the
third draft:
Yakima County
United Way
Yakima Housing Authority
Rodshouse
La Casa Hogar
Safe Yakima
People for People
Comprehensive Healthcare/Aspen Victim Advocacy Services
YWCA
Catholic Charities
These partners gave tremendous direction and perspective, which staff incorporated in the third
draft of the plan. Staff presents this third draft for adoption by Council on March 1, 2018.
KEY THEMES
Input has clearly indicated that the plan should focus on community health and wellbeing. For
this reason, staff recommends changing the title to COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY PLAN
- VISION 2025.
Input also enlighten staff to change the plan's tone from needs based to asset driven. This third
draft starts with a vision for community health:
We envision a City that is healthy, welcoming, responsive, inclusive, engaged,
organized, active and that prioritizes its residents' wellbeing.
3
The Plan provides current conditions and obstacles to improving community wellbeing. These
are listed as:
i. 29 of recognized gangs in the City of Yakima
ii. 40 addresses linked to known gang members within the City limits
iii. Gang involvement (membership and affiliation) rate is 15% in middle
schools
iv. 1,216 of DV cases reported
v. 80 of robberies by police district
vi. 998 of assaults by police district
These conditions inspired the change we envision for 2025; specifically, the indicators that
should reflect improved community wellbeing:
i. Eliminate and eradicate at least two known gangs within the City of Yakima
ii. Reduce by the number of homes (addresses) associated with gang activity to no
more than 20 within the City
iii. Decrease the rate of gang involvement at Washington Middle School and MLK
Junior High by 2-4% points
iv. Reduce by 25% the number of DV identified in local hospitals
v. Increase by 100% the number of school based activities that address healthy
relationships in a manner that is respectful and age appropriate
vi. Reduce the number of robberies by 25%
vii. Reduce the number of assaults by 25%
An equally important topic has been the type of operational model that the City could adopt for
the implementation of programs and activities. This model is discussed in page 8 and reflects
important principles:
1- Wellness approaches need comprehensive programming guided by a diverse steering
committee that includes former gang members, perpetrators and victims. City's role is
best defined as a broker.
2- Many community-based organizations have visions and missions that seek the same
outcomes. City's role is to connect these agencies.
3- Evaluation, coordination, media and fund development capacity must be developed
among partners. City's role is to build capacity.
4- Programming must be driven by clear timelines, agreements, standards and metrics.
The City's role can be to facilitate this framework.
5- Finally, funding needs are great and the City can't be an effective funder. However, the
City can leverage funding for organizations that demonstrate evidence based
programming and sound fund development capacity.
For neighborhood safety, the operational model is more fluid. The Plan proposes small Service
Program Areas throughout the City that convene residents, businesses, school staff, police and
other City staff and focus on next steps towards implementation of community changes. These
Service Program Areas are simply spaces where specific requests for services can be made
through direct interaction between residents and city staff. The City's role is to convene these
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groups, to facilitate dialogue, to provide immediate solutions and to increase social capital one
small area at a time.
NEXT STEPS
Council has the option of formally adopting the COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY PLAN -
VISION 2025 so that as we implement programs and activities, these are connected to the
framework included in the plan and most importantly, contribute to the changes we wish to
achieve by 2025. For example, this Plan can drive summer programming design so that
addresses one, several or all of these indicators:
• Gang membership reduction
• Domestic violence reduction
• Crime reduction
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COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY SAFETY
PLAN FOR THE CITY OF YAKIMA
VISION: 2025
I. 2025 VISION
This Plan provides a vision for community wellbeing for 2025. This vision statement provides
inspiration for the type of community Yakima wants to be.
This Plan addresses community health by looking at conditions of youth violence, domestic
violence and neighborhood crime. The Plan focuses on these conditions because they are
perceived as obstacles for wellbeing.
We envision �:: City that is healthy, welcoming, responsive, inclusive, engaged, organized, active
and that prioritizes its residents' wellbeing.
We value and thrive to improve conditions through activities designed using this motto:
NOTHING FOR THEM WITHOUT THEM.
This Plan recognizes the assets in the City of Yakima: Health services providers, natural resources,
community based policing, responsive local government structures, diverse economy,
employment, diversity and civic engagement.
The City of Yakima is grateful to all the community-based partners that guided this document and
to City staff for sharing their perspective.
1
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H. CURRENT CONDITIONS
Under the leadership of the Public Safety Committee, we reviewed and selected the following
key points from the National Citizen Survey (NCS). In 2015, the Community Livable Report
provided the opinion of a representative sample of 735 residents of the City of Yakima. This
report showed that residents identified Safety and Economy as priorities for the Yakima
community.
For this Plan, we identified the following conditions:
i. 31% of residents indicated overall feeling of safety
ii 78% of residents indicate feeling of safety in their neighborhood,
iii. 63% of residents indicated feeling of safety in downtown.
b. NEIGHBORHOOD
|n2017,under the leadership Councilwoman Duce Gutierrez the City Counc sponsored five
neighborhood forums to discuss neighborhood safety. Th�� forums took pace on the foUowing dates
at the following locations:
June 17, 2017
October 14, 2017
Cmrner of8th Street
����
St. Michael's Episcopal
October 25, 2017 Garfield Elementary
November 15, 2017 Henry Beauchamp Community
December 6, 2017 Robertson Elementary
During these forums, the community outlined a number of desires and ideas that could enhance public
safety. These ideas fall under three distinct but complementary categories:
1. City Protocols
2. Prevention Activities
3. Environmental Design
These are the actual suggestions from these forums:
Updated protocols
o
Communication protocol for YPD and affected parties before and after incidents
o
Transportation protocols for victims
o
Public education to enhance transparency of how calls are prioritized and how cases are
investigated
o
Enhanced relations and iapproaches:
" Community- police; community policing
* City- Schools
2
" Neighbor -Neighbor
~ Spanish speaking capacity improvement among ¥PD
o
Use of community gathering places such as school, churches and other spaces more
effectively
o
Integrating mental health/ case management component to victim treatment
o
Children and Teen
• After school programming
• Alternative programming
Curfew
a Parenting classes
Respite
Free bus passes
o
Increased social worker, mental health practitioner and police force
* Permanent presence in key areas
la Cameras
Home ownership
• Incentives for City staff tolive inDistrict 1or2.��
o
Rethinking ofstaffing for various police districts
� Numberof«��r�s��'
*
management staff
Number of mental health andcase
• Number of safety staff
o
Code enforcement Code revisions or both
Homeless services
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• Environmental Design
Cleanups
Speed bumps
Graffiti
CIP focus for such programs:
w Lincoln Under
pass
�
Surveillance cameras
Sidewaik on Powerhouse Rd
�
Sidewalks leading to schools
• Lighting
�
Naches Park
• Eastside Pool
• Sidewalks (period)
3
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III. BARRIERS TO WELLBEING
This Plan identifies conditions we want to change in three areas: youth wellbeing, domestic
and neighborhood safety. Yakima Police Department provided these data points in early 2018.
YOUTH VIOLENCE BASELINE
i. 29 of recognized gangs in the City of Yakima.
ii. 40 addresses linked to known gang members within the City limits
In addition, we include a third baseline from the Yakima Gang Free Initiative
Retrospective Document (2010-2015):
iii. Gang involvement (membership and affiliation) rate is 15% in middle schools.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BASELINE
. 1216 of DV cases reported
NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY BASELINES
1. 80 of robberies by police district
998 of assaults by police district
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IV. RESOURCES
This Plan addresses financial resources needed to support operational models and the activities listed in
subsequent sections. This section is not a fundraising plan; instead, this section recognizes potential
funding available in 2018 and outlines the role of the City as a facilitator (not as funder).
This plan recognizes:
1- Importance of using City contributions as seed funding to design programs and organizational
structures or as gap funding.
2- Importance of program structures to include media/marketing and evaluation to capture and
promote outcomes.
3- Importance of developing capacity of governance bodies of key partners to direct programs and
to fundraise.
4- Core funding from the City should not be a strategy for sustainability of programs.
Public, philanthropic, charitable, corporate and private funding may be accessed to support the activities
listed in this plan. In 2018, the Governor's Office may provide seed funding for coordination of gang
prevention programs. If the funding does not materialize, then like the other components of the plan,
funding will need to be identified.
In 2015, Washington Fruit Company partnered with the City to improve Miller Park Community Center.
It provided $150,000 for capital improvements- these are not programmatic dollars.
Based on the Magallan Consultancy LLC's GFI Retrospective report, to run a soundly designed program,
the City would need to allocate or to access from 1.5M to 4.0M. The Wallace Foundation indicates that
costs for serving elementary and middle schools are between $3,000 and $7,000 per student.
PLAN ELEMENT
Youth Wellbeing
FUNDED ACTIVITY
Creation of Gang Prevention
Steering Committee
Suggested Resources
Seed: Governor's grant
Gang Prevention Lead
Agency + Coordinator
Seed: Governor's grant
Domestic Health
DV Prevention Steering
Committee
Seed: TBD
DV Prevention Lead Agency Seed: TBD
Technical Assistance Partners
Seed: TBD
Neighborhood Safety
Creation of SPA's
City can act as convener and provide
staff support to get each SPA off the
ground.
Specific resources for each SPA: TBD
if needed
This plan recognizes that funding, like program delivery, must be multidisciplinary (diverse sources) and
creative. The City is ready to examine availability of Federal, State, Corporate and Philanthropic funding
for two to three year initiatives related to youth, family and neighborhood wellbeing.
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V. DESIRED CHANGE
a. Youth Wellbeing
The City of Yakima envisions that in comparison to the 2017 baseline, by 2025 we will:
A. Eliminate and eradicate at least two known gangs within the City of Yakima.
B. Reduce by the number of homes (addresses) associated with gang activity to no more than 20
within the City.
C. The rate of gang involvement at Washington Middle School and MLK Junior High will decrease to
2-4% points.
b. Domestic violence reduction
The City of Yakima envisions that in comparison to the 2017 baseline, by 2025 we will:
A. Reduce by 25 the number of DV identified in local hospitals.
B. Increase by 100% the number of school based activities that address healthy relationships in a
manner that is respectful and age appropriate.
c. Safe neighborhoods
The City of Yakima envisions that in comparison to the 2017 baseline, by 2025 we will:
A. Reduce the number of robberies by 25%
B. Reduce the number of assaults by 25%
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VI. PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES
The programs and activities in the following table are categorized under Prevention, Intervention, and
Suppression. These components are found in violence prevention and public health approaches and
recognize the importance of multi level approaches that address the complexities of violence prevention
and public safety.
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VII. TWO YEAR OPERATIONAL MODELS: YOUTH AND DOMESTIC
HEALTH
We have learned lessons from the GFI and from the fields of gang prevention, youth
development and domestic violence about effective organizational models to implement
violence prevention initiatives. In this section, we outline the option of adopting a model used
by the U.S. Department of Justice and other violence prevention initiatives such as the Wellness
Foundation's Violence Prevention Initiative. In the latter, youth violence was addressed using a
public health framework in
which prevention as the key
to healthy communities and
that gang violence, like
disease, has to be
Suppression
Intervention
Steering
Cmt/Commission
Capacity
Building
Lead
Agency-
Coordinator
gency-
Coordinator
Prevention
an essential function of the lead so that this
of a development officer/fundraiser.
Evaluator
+ Media
addressed regionally.
It calls for a centralized lead
agency (governmental or
community based) that is
guided by a steering or
advisory committee. The
effort's lead is accountable
to the steering committee
and serves as the connector
of resources needed to
implement the activities in
the table. The lead
oversees an inventory of
resources and community
assets. This person acts as a
connector and broker of
human, social and financial
capital. Securing capital for
long term sustainability is
position is less of a program implementer and more
It is important to recognize non -program partners that are essential for long term sustainability under
this model:
• Capacity Building- These partners will work with all services providers to identify
evidence -based approaches for service delivery and program design. They will also
work with governance bodies of various organizations to increase their effectiveness in
long-term sustainability and resource development.
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VISION 2025 PROPOSED ACTIVITIES
Youth
Family
School
Victim
Offenders
Residents
Police
Planning/Code
PREVENTION
Increase Youth Wellbeing
Activities designed and
lead by former gang
members
Activities designed and
lead by family of gang
members
Violence reduction
public awareness
campaign.
Reduce domestic violence
Activities designed and
lead by DV offenders and
victims
Buddy systems
Increase neighborhood safety
Block captain
program
Support block captains
Environmental design:
streetscaping + lighting
Mentoring
Hotline
Safe Passage Program.
Support groups
Support groups
Tenant and
property
management
Community policing
Fair housing enforcement
Mental health services
and case management
211 Coordination
Prevention based case
management.
Mental health services
and case management
211 Coordination
Homeownership
City and School
partnerships
Street cameras/CCTV
Community Service
Learning
Prevention based case
management
Community Services
Guide
Curriculum 1 -12th
Curriculum 1 -12th
Block activities
Spanish speaking
capacity
Incentives for city staff to
live in Districts 1 and 2
Social Venture
Speaker Forum
Early Literacy
Organized rec
activities
Cultural awareness
Update code ordinances
Yak Youth Entering
Service (Yak -YES)
Community Gang
Awareness Education
Evidence based
activities: quality and
data driven
Home ownership
Permanent presence
in key areas
More aggressive
enforcement of code
violations
Internships
ACEs/Beyond Paper
Tigers
Neighborhood
HOA organizations
Rethinking staffing of
sworn officers
City programs to assist
home owners
Fellowships
After school
programming: 1. driven
by quality standards 2.
campus model/zones 3.
developmentally
appropriate and 4. check
in/out system
Parenting classes
and supports
Effective use of non
sworn officers
CIP: Lincoln underpass +
Powerhouse Rd sidewalk +
Lights + Naches Parkway +
Eastside pool + Sidewalks
leading to schools and
parks
GREAT curriculum. Gang
Resistance Education
and Training.
Broker community
gathering places
211 Coordination
Systems Change
Curfews
VISION 2025 PROPOSED ACTIVITIES
Youth
Family
School
Victim
Offenders
Residents
Police
Planning/Code
INTERVENTION
Prevent further gang involvement
Street Outreach
Intervention based
case management
Intervention based case
management
Reduce domestic violence
Intervention based case
management
Intervention based case
management
Increase neighborhood safety
Code Enforcement
Community policing
Code enforcement
Scare Straight
Support
School based mental
health services
Support groups
Peer to peer buddy systems
Access to services
providers
Update police
protocols for working
with victims
Integrate mental
health/case management
components
Mental Health Services
Training on gang
structures and
dynamics, gang
intervention and
prevention, and
associated strategies
and programs
Mental health services
Substance abuse treatment
Family supports
Enhance transparency
of how calls are
processed
Hospital based gang
intervention for
individuals admitted
for injuries related to
suspected gang activity
Coordinated and
comprehensive
intervention and case
management services
to gang affiliated
youth, adults and
families.
Time sensitive
treatment/Costless
Work with Schools for
after school
programming
Gang member
notification regarding
the availability of
services and
consequences of
partaking in gang
activity
Provide individual and
family mentoring and
advocacy to gang
members and families
through the work of
outreach workers
Reintegration Support
Public Library
Programs
Address the needs and
challenges associated
with the re-entry
process for gang
members returning to
the community
Re -integration support
Case management
services
Access to job training
and placement and
access to educational
opportunities for gang
members
SUPPRESSION
c
w
v
u
0
Aggressively respon
Youth
Family
School
Close supervision of
specific households
Close supervision of
families affiliated to
specific gang members
Close supervision of
gang activity
Support groups
Coordinated
enforcement with
Federal and State
entities
Peer to peer
interventions
Cost sharing
agreements with
regional partners
VISION 2025 PROPOSED ACTIVITIES
Victim
Offenders
Residents
Police
Reduce domestic violence
Housing and shelter
services
Improved accountability for
offenders
Workforce development
Asset seizure; wage
garnishing
Streamlined restraining
orders
Faith based and
community based support
Increase neighborhood s
Police assistance
Resident friendly
protocols
Planning/Code
Integrate mental
health/case management
components
Family supports
Information
Body cameras
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• Media RelatioThese partners will work with services providers to educate the
public and policy makers. They will build the capacity of all those involved in violence
prevention to effect public perception and public opinion.
�
Evaluators- Finally, these partners will evaluate the effectiveness of programming and
will track performance measures and indicators.
• Multidisciplinary Intervention Team approach- services providers will be linked and
provide wrap around services that are evidenced based and specific in their targets.
�
211. This model acknowledges the importance of working with the current 211
structure and avoid duplication.
It is equally important to recognize the value of the steering committee membership. One option that
should be carefully considered is the selection of a cross disciplinary steering committee to guide,
monitor, modify and promote programming. The steering committee may include representatives from
the foliowing sectors:
• Those
impacted by
Police Department
Sheriff Department
District Attorney's Office
Department ofCorrections
Aduft and Juvenile Probation
m" Community based organizations
Human Services
Faith based
SchoolDistrict
� City
� ^
Civic organizations
• Workforce development
County Public Health
Selection of a Iead agency that is either faith based, community based or school based and that will be
accountable to the steering committee should also considered. This agency will be the main
administrator and connector of all the activities and services. One of the most important functions of
the Iead agency's governance body will be resource development. It is imperative that Iead agencies
understand that municipal resources are limited and should be used mostly for leveraging other funds.
Examples of organizations that can serve in this capacity include:
• Schools
�
Hospitals
�
Faith based organizations
�
Non -profits
�
Community Foundations
• Public-private partnerships
• Community Action Groups
9
17
Under this model, the Iead agency hires a coordinator and is directed by a steering committee. The lead
agencyen��into formal partnerships (MOU's) with community and faitbased
organizatio��
proven historyworking
theirevidenced ~^~
The GFI Retrospective report indicates that two key alliances were desirable but unattained at the time
of the GFI imon. Partnerships and leadership
roles for the United Way and for the
Yakima VaUeyCon��oty Foundation aneh'ghoghiedashighlydesirab|e.
The University of Washington Gang Prevention & Intervention Project: Final Evaluation Report of 2013
includes five recommendatjons that are relevant to this plan:
1. Future funding initiatives should require the adoption of the 0.1JDP Comprehensive Gang Model.
2. MO(J's with service providers should include definitive language anguage r&ated to the agency's
role and
responsibilities specifically regarding the types of program youth to be served e.g.,gang
involvement, level and dosage of prevention and or intervention services, and requirementsfmrdata collection.
3LTo increase the likelihood of youth achieving targetedymuthce ~ � outcomes,
providers �hou/di �|�noent Wdencebased ���� deai�nedforyouthof-~^~
�
involvement 0rhigh r�k. programs/ocuse.��,�an�
a. Data
onprngramperformanceshou|dbenooDitoredbytheProjectCmomdina1orasm/e||asthe
Project Evaluator, to assess how weU prevention and intervention services are working for
individuals youth, to problem solve issues reated to service barriers and ensure that service
providers are meeting contracted deUverabes,
�. Finally, as projects are required to implement the °U]DP CGK8,the evaluation, too should follow
the recqOmmnendeddata collection process |ndudingthe cp|/ecdonmfgang re(—~ ted'crime datm
individual client data, key agency participation data outcome)(process and andcommunity'
perception data.
Recommendations 1, 2, 3, 4
5 are in the bmod& proposed in this section. As
far as essons earned from previous gang inrtjatwes, the lead ~-,^ will have to be ready to
1- Enter into contracts within one week of the initiative's official start date.
2- Give potential partners a list of competencies that will be needed to participate in initiative.
3- Ensure that partners have all key program components in place prior to formally requesting to
enter into the initiative
4- Mobilize staff to go to target households to secure parental consent- we can't wait to parents to
get around giving consent.
5- Execute the initiative in a 2 to 2.5 years program period with proper start up, execution
evaluation and documentation phases. '
6- Build capacity of potential partners ahead of the start up phase
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VIII. OPERATIONAL MODELS: SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS
For the safety program implementation, we have found that police and '�support for resident efforts
is imperative. Unhike the model above, resident based activitrequire
model agency. The operational ode|for safer neighborhood and crime prevention presented inthis sectinn i
grounded onstronger coordination betvveencity Qovernmentneighborhoods, ighborhood�cm ins
based organizatlons and county services.
mnmunty
One option is the creation of Services Planning Areas (SPA) for specific sections of the City.Each
S
PAviUoecomposedofnyuidents,PDandcityreps. Together, they will share data, trends, and prioritize
neighborhood activities. The model does nt require
funding other than in-kind participation of /i
of�cersand connmunityliaisons �omdi�enpntdepartnnentswithin the City theThe plan necomn///rnospo�e
creation ofSPA, vvhichcould coincide vvith police beat districts.
The benefit of establishing SPAs is th
ateach beat mrarea will have its own
approaches
for addressing
addressing
safety in a manner that is consistent with the character-istics of the area.Evidence shows that sfetyappmm--hes shoulci be tailored to the trends andattributesofspecificne|ghborhoodn Each SPA will
have membership based on the region it covers; members will outline priorities for their public parks
and streets while itystafxou|dactasadvocatesaDd|/aioontofaci/it teaer«icesandresources' yee«pectthatsmneSPA'svi|/beself-motivated and ��b«ewhile others may rely more heavily onstaff t
cto
promote it is possible to iink Ieadership programs currently implemented for City staff to
identify personnel that may want to volunteer to serve as SPA staff. Police participation can be tailored
to work with non -sworn officers as human resources are Iimtted at YPD
The purpose of these SPAs would be
Assess the safety assets and needs of defined areas in the City
�
Pmovideevidence-based best practicrime
Promote safety nmeasuresand activities through broad collaboration
epre«e»t/on
w/ithkeyytaheho|ders
such as schools, faith based organizations, businesses and housing associations.
VVenecornnnendthatspecificpartnersbese/ectedtoexecutepro0rannsandact/xitiesineachSPA
Again, since each SPA m//|/likely have its wvvnprogrannming,asingle citym/ideagency isnot likely t' be
posinonedtndothis neighborhood level vvorhxve/|. For this reasonthe City's role ld bum
the process leading to the identification of the appropriate entity to `8atherdataonm/ouneedsietofaci/itate
prevention activities and convene stakeholders. , oent|�ycr/noe
SPA leading organizations would convene stakeholders to work on an array of crime prevention
activities such as:
i Neighborhood watch/block groups
ii Situational crime prevention
iii. Environmental Desi
a. Housing
b. StoeetscapinQ
c. Code
iv. Comprehensive community partnerships
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v. Community Policing
vi. Social Capital Development
a. Tenant Management
b. Homeownership
c. Schools as a community asset
d. Organized recreational activities
12
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