Melanie Bates: Targeted Policing

Targeted policing is a great way to strategically use law enforcement to curtail the criminal activity of known violent criminals and to focus on neighborhood "hot spots."

There is a very small percentage of criminals who are creating most of the chaos. The police know who they are. The CIRV program uses targeted policing by bringing in these known criminals and giving them an ultimatum -- give up on crime or you and your cohorts will face full prosecution under state and federal law when caught.

CIRV is designed to reduce homicide; ALL violent criminal activity needs to stop in our neighborhoods. The recently adopted Landlord Nuisance Ordinance deserves enforcement so that repeat and documented criminal activity at "hot spots" is penalized, with the eventual eviction of those who are engaging in repeat criminal activity such as shots fired and drug dealing.

Residents within our communities also know where the "hot spots" are and who many of the perpetrators of crime are. Citizens on Patrol is a good start to engage community residents, but empowering neighborhood leaders with crime statistics and data should be the next step. This will require training for those individuals in a community leadership capacity who agree to commit to fighting crime in this targeted way. Residents know their community and can be additional and effective resources to law enforcement.