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HomeMy WebLinkAbout16 - Crime Prevention ProgramSeptember 26, 2000 Agenda Item No. 16 CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT September 26, 2000 To: Honorable Mayor, Members of the City Council and City Manager From: Bob McDonell, Chief of Police Subject: Local Law Enforcement Block Grant — Crime Prevention Program Receive public comments and accept continued funding of the Crime Prevention Program under the provisions of United States Department of Justice Local Law Enforcement Block Grant 2000 -LB -VX -0442 and its successor grant under the federal 2000/2002 budget period (currently in the application process). BACKGROUND: In 1996, the Police Department applied for and received block grant funds administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice. The purpose of the grant was to fund the implementation of a Crime Prevention Program and staff the program with a full -time Crime Prevention Specialist. The program under which the funds were initially made available has been renewed each year since its inception and each renewal has been used to continue the Crime Prevention Program. The award for this budget period is $59,465. The program has successfully met or exceeded the goals set for it at its inception. The scope and activity level of the program has expanded and now includes a part -time Crime Prevention Specialist in addition to the full -time position. The program has been well received by the public and I am satisfied with the progress to date. Administrative requirements of the federal process mandate that the grant be presented for public comment prior to funds being expended. This requirement will be satisfied by inclusion of this recommendation as a City Council meeting agenda item and allowing the opportunity for public input on the planned expenditure. Attached for your review is a copy of this year's annual progress report prepared for the Department of Justice by our staff. Respectfully submitted, 64 Bob McDonell CHIEF OF POLICE NEWPORT BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT 870 Santa Barbara, P.O. Box 7000. Newport Beach, CA 92658 -7000 BOB McDONELL Chief of Police September 30, 2000 LLEBG Control Desk, Room 304C 663 Indiana Avenue NW Washington, DC 20531 Re: Federal Grant Award Number 96LBVX0529 Bureau of Justice Assistance Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Program Annual Written Assessment of Crime Prevention Program This is the annual assessment of the Newport Beach Police Department's Crime prevention Program for the reporting period of October 1, 1999 to September 30,2000. This mark's the third complete year of the program being in place. The Crime Prevention Program was started with LLEBG funds. The goal of the program is to establish a highly visible part of the Police Department that is dedicated to (1) Preventing crime, (2) Disseminating correct and realistic information about criminal activity and crime prevention in our city, and (3) Enhancing the perception of security within the community. Crime statistics for 1999 continued to show a decrease (11.7 %) over the previous year for part 1 crimes. The first 6 months of the year 2000 appear to be holding steady with the year 2000 as crime rates are starting to level off. The continued declines in areas like burglaries, robberies, and thefts are thought to be at least partly due to crime prevention efforts in those areas. The activities of our Crime Prevention Specialist for the past year have included the following: Crime Alerts and Community Advisories Last year we began distributing Crime Bulletins for all residential burglaries with no named suspect information. To date our crime prevention unit has distributed 46 six such alerts in different neighborhoods throughout the City. These alerts not only inform the residents of the crime, but also advise the residents that the Police Department provides free Home Security Inspections. Office of the Chief (949) 644 -3701 / Administration (949) 644 -3654 / Patrol- Traffic (949) 644 -3742 / Detectives (949) 644 -3790 Page 2 Home Security Inspections In the last year a total of 42 Home Security Inspections were completed. The majority of these inspections were at the requested of residents who had recently received a crime warning bulletin. McGruff McGruff is the newest member of the Department's Crime Prevention Unit and the most famous. In the first month he has made several public appearances and has several more scheduled. These events include opening day for several sports leagues, safety fairs, the Department's Public Safety Day and soon school visits. Children love him and he is proving to be a wonderful way to get the crime prevention message out to them. National Night Out This is a national crime and drug prevention event that occurs every August. The goal of the event is to: (1) Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; (2) Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs; (3) Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police - community partnerships; and (4) Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and ready to fight crime. This year the Police Department's Crime Prevention Unit hosted a "Community Get Together" at one of our local parks. We provided crime and drug prevention literature, free hot dogs and drinks, and balloons to over 125 attendees. Children were given the opportunity to get their picture taken atop a police motorcycle and inside a police patrol car. In addition to these activities, attendees had the opportunity to tour the Department's Mobil Command Post, sign -up for the Citizens Police Academy, and visit with both the D.A.R.E. and K -9 Officers. In addition to the Department sponsored event, nine different Neighborhood Watch Groups hosted get - togethers within their own neighborhoods. Several of these get - togethers were attended by the patrol officers. CPTED In November of last year the Crime Prevention Specialist attended a 40 -hour Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) training course. This training has allowed our unit to start reviewing building plans for new buildings being built within the City as well as additions or remodels to exiting ones. The goal of this reviewing process is to spot potential crime problems before they occur and suggest alternatives in such areas as landscaping, access control and lighting. These CPTED concepts are used in all commercial and home security inspections as well. These concepts provide business and homeowners with Page 3 techniques proven to deter crime without creating the look of a fortress. The concepts include, for example, the use of landscaping to create boundaries and establish territoriality rather then using high fencing or window bars to keep unwanted individuals out. Commercial Security Inspections A total of nine security inspections have been conducted. These inspections ranged from churches, schools, and businesses to a condominium complex. Several of these inspections included reports and were often followed up with a workplace safety talk with the employees. Neighborhood Watch In the last year our Neighborhood Watch program as grown with 40 new Neighborhood Watch Groups being added. In the year to come we will be increasing the number of follow -up meetings within the existing groups. These meetings will help to educate new residents and remind exiting members what their role is in Neighborhood Watch, what is suspicious, when to call the police, and 9 -1 -1. Speaking Engagements In the last year the crime prevention unit has participated in over 37 speaking engagements. These speaking engagements have educated the community on Neighborhood Watch, crime trends and crime patterns within Newport Beach, personal and workplace safety, child safety, retail theft, robbery prevention, telemarketing fraud and employee theft. Health and Safety Fairs Over the last year the crime prevention unit has participated in seven Health & Safety Fairs with an average attendance of 200 to 300 employees Volunteer Program The Department's Crime Prevention Specialist has been very involved in the day to day operation of our Volunteer Program. This program has been able to supplement our regular employees by assisting with non - critical tasks, freeing up our regular employees for more field duties. Use of Volunteers has greatly enhanced the ability of the Crime Prevention Specialist to maintain a police presence at community functions and Neighborhood Watch meetings. The Volunteer program continues to grow and will soon be assisting with some traffic and parking issues related to handicap parking violations. Page 4 Conclusion Our Crime Prevention Program has met or exceeded all of its original goals. Demands on the program continue to grow in the areas of public speaking, home security inspections, business security inspections, work place safety, and crime prevention through environmental design. An even greater use of Police Department Volunteers is anticipated for the future if the Department is to meet these demands.