Panel #4: Perspectives & Ideas of Community

Presentation for the Tacoma Property Crimes Reduction Task Force

Meeting 4: February 3, 2016

Panelists: Peter Huffman, Director, Planning & Development Services; Priscilla Lisisich, Safe Streets;

William King, Community Council; Cory Darlington, TPD; Sam Lopez, TPD

Today’s Presentation

We will hear from the following Panelists: Peter Huffman, Director, City Planning and

Development Services Dept.

Priscilla Lisicich, Executive Director, Safe Streets

William King, Community Council

Cory Darlington, Lieutenant, TPD, Sector 4

Sam Lopez, Community Liaison Officer, TPD, Sector 4

Planning & Development Services Safer By Design

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)

The physical environment can be proactively designed to:

Reduce the potential for crime

Affect behavior of those likely to commit crimes of opportunity

Reduce the fear of crime

Create inviting and attractive spaces

Four Basic Principles:

Natural Surveillance

Natural Access Control

Territorial Reinforcement

Image/Maintenance

Planning & Development Services Safer By Design

One Tacoma Plan - Safer By Design

Goal: Promote development practices that

contribute to a sense of safety and reduction in opportunities for crime.

Select Policies: Encourage building and site design approaches

in new public and private development that foster positive social interaction and help to prevent crime.

Promote natural sightlines and visibility through the design and placement of features on sites in ways that provide opportunities for people to observe the space, uses, activities, and people around them.

Planning & Development Services Safer By Design

Zoning Code – Safer by Design

Building Design Requirements Significant window requirements,

particularly along streets, walkways and courtyards to encourage “eyes on the street”

Parking garages are required to provide visibility from the street into the garage

Site Design and Landscaping Provide lighting along pedestrian

walkways

Design most landscaped areas to provide a clear sightline between 3 and 7 feet off the ground

Public seating designed to discourage long-term loitering or sleeping

Safe Streets

Neighborhood organizing for community safety

Problem assessment, group organization, action planning, connection to necessary resources and group progress.

Outreach to develop new block groups in underserved communities

Community education on crime trends, crime reporting, and prevention initiatives/tactics.

Leadership support for neighborhood block group and youth leaders

Youth Leading Change

High school and middle school civic leadership development

Prevention education

Social media messaging by youth on substance abuse and violence prevention.

An informal ‘SWOC’ assessment – what we do well, where are the gaps?

Strengths–

We reach the grassroots of our community

Educate adults and youth on proven prevention practices as well as how to use government and other resources to intervene on community threats.

Increase communication and facilitate coordination with police, code enforcement, community based services, crime free housing, homeless coalition, neighborhood councils, South Sound 911, Metro Parks, Business Districts, Tacoma Schools and other resources to help accomplish neighborhood action plans.

Provide block leaders and youth leadership development.

Help the network of leaders to collaborate on larger projects/initiatives.

Measure our work through outcome based evaluation.

Weaknesses

Insufficient availability of staff to meet community demand.

Lack of awareness of strategic initiatives and therefore inability to plan as an agency to meet demands for public safety.

Services are often presented without sufficient coordination.

Opportunities: Reach out to the entire City with the Property Crimes Initiative

Challenges: See Weaknesses

WHERE WE SERVE

ACTIVE

SAFE STREETS

NEIGHBORHOOD

GROUPS TACOMA 2016

ACTIVE

YOUTH CHAPTERS TACOMA PUBLIC

SCHOOLS 2016

ORGANIZE • CONNECTIVITY

• TRAINING

• SUPPORT

HOW WE SERVE

ORGANIZE • The best crime prevention device invented is a good neighbor

• Join organized efforts are more effective than individual efforts

• There are many more citizens than there are law enforcement officers

• Citizens become an extension of the law enforcement agencies’ eyes

and ears

• Through citizens’ involvement the community is provided with unlimited

availability of local neighbors to watch their neighborhood for suspicious

activities of crime

Why

Current initiatives or programs relevant to reducing property crime

COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION

• BLOCK GROUPS • NEIGHBORHOOD PATROLS • CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN (CPTED)

• GRAFFITI REMOVAL • COMMUNITY CLEAN-UPS

Current initiatives or programs relevant to reducing property crime

COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION

• NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING ACADEMY

• SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOLS

• COMMUNITY EVENTS • National Night Out • March Against Crime

Current initiatives or programs relevant to reducing property crime

SAFE STREETS ACADEMY

• CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design)

• UWT Partnership • Neighborhood Asset Mapping • TWCI (Tacoma Whole Child Initiative)

• Neighborhood Leadership Building

• RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

Current initiatives or programs relevant to reducing property crime

YOUTH MOBILIZATION

• YOUTH LEADING CHANGE (YLC) • ENGAGE

IMPACT on CRIME

Safe Streets Neighborhood Group

Efficacy Rate

2015 Change in Crime Rate

Jefferson Block Watch Sector 2 75% +25%

Firmoor Sector 2

67% -9%

East Wapato Sector 4

100% -15%

Alling Sector 4

80% -11%

Spring Hill Sector 4

100% -10%

Highlighting

Longer-term goals relevant to property crime reduction

Neighborhood Organizing Increase community capacity through education and action

initiatives to prevent crime.

Equip grassroots leaders with tools, skills, confidence and connections to identify, eradicate and prevent illegal activity to create safe neighborhoods.

Establish neighborhood-based teams to promote the Whole Child.

Youth Leadership

Increase youth engagement to establish peer influence initiatives to build positive behavioral supports for youth.

Provide social emotional learning in YLC curriculum for

How well are we coordinating -- with each other, and with other parts of the system?

Coordination of services is the life blood of community action. When a community need is identified Safe Streets works to make those connections between community members and the resource. We advocate for greater investment into building out for community livability rather than just “crime prevention.”

Suggestions and Observations

Implement a City-wide social media campaign to educate the community on the goals of property crime reduction as well as how to be a partner in the City-wide goal.

Assure full funding for Community Liaison Officers to partner with Safe Streets.

Invest funds in Safe Streets to assure City-wide coverage for neighborhood organizing and community improvement project ($260,000).

Current coverage: East Side (Sector 4) South end (Sector 3&4)

Parts of South Tacoma (Sector 3)

Adding 3 FTEs to the currently funded 2 FTEs would provide coverage to the following areas:

East Side (Sector 4) South end (Sector 3 & 4)

North/West End (Sector 2) South Tacoma (Sector 3)

Northeast (Sector 1) Central (Sector 1 &2)

Downtown (Sector 1)

Developing a Tacoma Strategy

Community Focused, Agency(s)

Driven, & City Led

Programs Tailored to Tacoma and

Specific Crimes

Multi-Pronged (Unified Voice)

CRJS (Police, Courts, Corrections)

Physical and Mental Health

Business Sector

Education Sector

Community Leaders

Other Stakeholders

Sustainable

Long-Term Reductions take Time to Develop

Increase is possible and then a sustainable

decrease

Funding

Federal Grants (Identified)

Matching Funds Proposal

5-year Funding Commitment

5-year additional funds with proven reduction