Charlotte City Council
Community Safety Committee
Meeting Summary
COMMITTEE AGENDA TOPICS
I.
II.
Subject:
Community Safety Focus Area Plan
Action:
Staff Resource:
Recommended changes in Fire Department focus area objective
Ron Kimble, Chief Darrel Stephens, Fire Marshal Rob Kinniburgh
Subject:
Community Safety Committee Meeting Schedule
None
Action:
Staff Resource:
Ron Kimble
COMMITTEE INFORMATION
Present:
Absent:
Time:
Council members Kinsey and Dulin
Council members Turner, Mitchell, and Peacock
12:15 to 1:05 p.m.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Agenda Package
Community Safety Committee
Meeting Summary for February 21, 2008
Page 2
DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTS
I. Subject:
Community Safety Focus Area Plan
Committee Discussion:
Ron Kimble introduced the Focus Area Plan and reminded the committee that this is a
year for minor adjustments to the plan. Chief Darrel Stephens and Fire Marshal Rob
Kinniburgh presented the five focus area measures. Chief Stephens reported that
property crime is up, driven by increases in larceny from vehicle. He also reviewed the
results of the 2007 Citizens Survey in which most of the ratings for CMPD had gone up
over the previous year. More residents reported feeling safe in their neighborhoods than
in the city as a whole; this is a common response in cities across the country. The survey
goes to a random sample of citizens with at least 50 respondents in each of the thirteen
patrol divisions. The confidence level in the survey is 95%. Chief Stephens also reported
that vehicle crashes were up; the increase can be at least partially attributed to the loss of
Safe Light and Safe Speed.
Council member Dulin inquired about the ratings on drug investigations which were
slightly lower than those in other categories; Chief Stephens replied that people respond
based on their perceptions; many of the larger drug cases go to federal courts and CMPD
is not allowed to publicize them. Drugs remain a significant problem in Charlotte and are
the impetus for many property crimes. Council member Dulin also wanted to know if
there were questions about gangs included on the survey; Chief Stephens replied that
gangs showed up on the question where citizens were asked to list their concerns;
burglary was first on the list for concerns for citizens in their own neighborhoods.
Council member Dulin also wanted to know if the crime reduction goals could be set
higher; Chief Stephens replied that they could be set at any level but the reality is that the
goals, as written, are already stretch targets. Crime is influenced by so many outside
factors that police cannot control; employees can be discouraged by stretch targets. For
police, the level of effort does not always influence the outcome.
Fire Marshal Rob Kinniburgh indicated that it was sometimes difficult to determine focus
area initiatives for fires since much of their work is reactive in nature. He suggested
reworking the focus area objective to measure education efforts that target children and
the elderly, the two age groups most vulnerable to fire. He will present a proposed
revision plus a second initiative for Fire at the next committee meeting on March 20.
Community Safety Committee
Meeting Summary for February 21, 2008
Page 2
II.
Subject:
Community Safety Committee Meeting Schedule
Committee Discussion:
The two committee members who were present indicated that meeting on the third
Thursday of the month would work for them. The final meeting schedule will be
discussed at the March 20 meeting.
Community Safety Committee
Thursday, February 21, 2008 – 12:00 pm
Room CH-14
Committee Members:
Warren Turner, Chair
Patsy Kinsey, Vice Chair
Andy Dulin
James Mitchell
Edwin Peacock
Staff Resource:
Ron Kimble
AGENDA
I.
Community Safety Focus Area Plan
Staff Resources: Ron Kimble, Chief Darrel Stephens
Review initiatives contained in the draft FY2009 Focus Area Plan, and prepare for
recommendation to City Council in March.
Distribution:
II.
Proposed Meeting Schedule for 2008
Staff Resource: Ron Kimble
III.
Next Meeting: TBD
Mayor/City Council
Brenda Freeze
David Haggist
Kim McMillan
Curt Walton, City Manager
Darrel Stephens
Brian Kelly
Bruce Miller
Leadership Team
Jon Hannan
Rob Phocas
Mac McCarley
Darrellyn Kiser
Catherine Zanga
FY2009 Strategic Focus Area Plan
“Charlotte will be the safest large
city in America through citizen and
local government partnerships.”
The City of Charlotte actively engages its citizens in proactive partnerships to build a safe community. A
safe community is one in which:
● Aggressive enforcement and prevention measures are being used to address crime and its
underlying causes
● Citizens and businesses are actively engaged in short and long term prevention initiatives
● Police and Fire are actively involved in local and regional homeland security efforts
● Enforcement and education programs help reduce loss of life, preventable injuries and
property damage resulting from traffic collisions and fires
The city’s community safety strategy is focused on targeted enforcement and prevention activities. The
Police Department’s enforcement efforts are data driven and focus resources on specific suspects and
areas where identifiable crime patterns can be impacted by the presence of police. Prevention programs
are designed to make residents and businesses less vulnerable to crime and engage citizens as active crime
prevention partners. Many of the prevention and intervention programs target young people who are
involved in gangs and/or drug related activity; success requires active community engagement and will
have a long term impact on the city’s crime rate.
Building a safe community encompasses much more than crime prevention and reduction. It requires the
city to take an active role in building regional partnerships that will result in a high level of preparedness
for any homeland security or natural disaster emergencies. It is also dependant on Police and Fire using
both enforcement and education efforts to reduce loss of life, preventable injuries, and property damage
resulting from traffic collisions and fires.
Many of the City’s community safety efforts are neighborhood based with police divisions and fire
stations located in the areas they serve. Each neighborhood has a police response area team that is
familiar with its issues and works with residents to develop long term solutions to crime and quality of
life concerns. Community safety issues are addressed through a holistic approach that partners City key
businesses, other public and private service providers, and the citizens of Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
The ultimate goal of these problem solving partnerships is a community where citizens feel safe
throughout the city, have confidence in public safety personnel, and are actively involved in ensuring
their own safety.
Community Safety
DRAFT
Reduce Crime
CS.1
Focus Area Initiative:
►
CS.2
Measure:
Target:
Prior Year Actual:
Focus Area Initiative:
►
CS.3
Measure:
Target:
Prior Year Actual:
Focus Area Initiative:
►
Measure:
Target:
Prior Year Actual:
CS.4
Focus Area Initiative:
►
CS.5
Measure:
Target:
Prior Year Actual:
Focus Area Initiative:
►
Measure:
Target:
Decrease crime throughout the city through enforcement and prevention
strategies that target specific crime categories or offenders
Crime rate per 100,000 population for Part One offense categories
3% reduction in robbery rate per 100,000 population
427.8 robberies per 100,000 population in FY07
Reduce the incidence of property crime through education and enforcement efforts
Crime rate per 100,000 population for Part One offense categories
5% reduction in property crime rate per 100,000 population
6,848 property crimes in FY07
Enhance citizen perception of safety through engagement with police and
the dissemination of improved and more consistent information
Ratings on citizen satisfaction survey in November 2008
Ratings of 7 or above on a 10 point scale on questions related to police
services and citizen perception of safety
70% rated their perception of police at 7 or above; 74% reported feeling
safe in their own neighborhoods
Reduce the incidence of vehicle crashes through enforcement, education,
and engineering
Number of vehicle crashes
3% reduction in vehicle crashes
28,277 vehicle crashes in FY07
Educate and prepare children to prevent injuries and fires and teach them
how to respond appropriately when they do occur
Percent of fire and life safety education programs requested and delivered to elementary school students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Schools
95% of requested programs delivered
Proposed 2008 Calendar for City Council Community Safety Committee
All Meetings are on the third Thursday of the month unless otherwise noted
All meetings are at 12:00 p.m.
January 2008:
January 10 (special called meeting)
February 2008:
February 21 (Third Thursday; committee
request)
March 2008:
March 20
April 2008:
April 17
May 2008:
May 15
June 2008:
June 19
July 2008:
No Meeting*
August 2008:
No Meeting*
September 2008:
September 18
October 2008:
October 16
November 2008:
November 20
December 2008:
December 18
*The Committee would not meet in July or August unless there are time sensitive
items on the agenda.