CITIZENS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT WORKING TOGETHER • DURHAM, NC • DISTRICT 2
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CITIZENS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT WORKING TOGETHER
• DURHAM,
NC
• DISTRICT 2
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Minutes of Meeting on Citywide Partners Against Crime, November 22, 1999 Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 5, 6:30pm, Downtown Library Attendance: Harold Chestnut (PAC 4 chair), Ethel Crisp (PAC 1), Mary Evans (PAC 4 co-chair), Stephen Hopkins (PAC 1 co-facilitator), Frank Hyman (PAC 3), Lorisa Seibel (PAC 2), Pam Spaulding (PAC 2 co-chair), Jackie Wagstaff (PAC 1, NECD chair), Mayme Webb (PAC 3 chair), and Brooke Whiteford (PAC 2 co-chair) Support from City for PACs: After PAC leaders go to their PACs in December, we will ask the City Manager Lamont Ewell to give consistent support from all departments of the City to each PAC, including:
In December, PAC leaders will also ask their PACs to agree to ask the City Council and Manager before their budget retreat January 7-8 to include in next year's budget funds for: 1. Bicycle patrols in target areas of each district 2. (Each PAC should identify where bike patrols are needed.) 3. Nuisance abatements--contracting with attorney Natalie McKinney to coordinate cases against properties used for drug dealing and other illegal activities. 4. (Each PAC can also contract with Natalie directly.) 5. Transportation planner to work with neighborhoods to solve traffic problems with speed humps and other traffic calming measures 6. (Frank will ask the Inter-Neighborhood Council on Nov. 23 to support this.) 7. Deeper subsidies for affordable rental and homebuyer homes to maintain mixed income neighborhoods 8. (Lorisa will ask the Campaign for Decent Housing on Dec. 14 to support this.) 9. Other items 10. (Each PAC will bring additional items to the next meeting.) Grants Harold Chestnut reported that the City is applying for a $511,000 grant from the Justice Dept. Next year, each PAC will get $5,000 to fund their requests for security to prevent crime (for example: lights, fences, additional patrols, bike and foot patrols in target areas, etc.). On the previous grants of $25,000 and $10,000, all PACs are working out problems funding their requests with Ada Gregory, Grants Coordinator, Police Department (560-4309). PAC 1 has requested: cellular phones for block captains, insurance for their van, service contract for their copier and workshops for PAC members. PAC 2 has received a computer, scanner and auto-dialer to do mailings and phone calls to PAC members (the computer will be available for citizens to use in the Northgate substation). PAC 2 is requesting a dedicated phone line for the auto-dialer, emergency beacons for elderly and disabled residents, and speeding indicators. PAC 3 has requested grants for neighborhood newsletters with crime prevention articles written by the crime prevention officer, continued meetings with land owners, crime prevention activities for teenagers, printing information in Spanish (although the police budget should pay for this in the future), and administrative expenses for the PAC. On December 18, PAC 4 is giving gifts for 400-500 children and making parents aware of PAC. PAC 4 received a house donated by the City for a community center and a computer donated by IBM for their office. PAC 4 is working on programs with Family to Family (Tamra Edwards) and the Dispute Settlement Center (Milton Lewis). PAC 4 is contacting owners and code enforcement officials about substandard, vacant and illegal activities in houses on Dawkins St. and other target areas. PAC 4 is working to involve Hispanic residents. Nuisance Abatements Mayme Webb reported that PAC 3 is doing nuisance abatements with the police and a private attorney. The PAC won the first two cases and stopped the drug dealing at two houses. However, the owners have abandoned the houses, so the PAC is left with two vacant houses. PAC 3 did a nuisance abatement to stop drug dealing at University Market on Chapel Hill St. The City got involved because it was a commercial property, however they delayed the negotiations which weakened the case. The owner agreed to stop any illegal activities, but did not sign a consent agreement. The PAC will reactivate the case if problems continue. PAC 1 also has done two nuisance abatements to stop drug dealing at two houses. They also found that the private attorney was faster than the City. A private attorney, Natalie McKinney, worked on all of these successful nuisance cases. She has agreed to work under contract with the PACs and/or the City. It would cost about $900 for a relatively simple, residential case. PAC leaders will ask their PACs to agree to ask the City for funding in next year's budget to pay Natalie McKinney to coordinate nuisance abatement cases in each district. (PACs may also want to contract with Natalie directly.) Bicycle Patrols At the last City-wide PAC meeting and at some district PAC meetings, citizens asked about bike patrols in target areas. They were told that there are not enough officers in Districts 1 and 2 and no funding for bikes in District 4. PAC leaders will ask their PACs to agree to ask the City for funding in next year's budget to pay for bicycle patrols in target areas in each district. PACs will identify target areas that need bicycle patrols. City-wide PAC Meetings Everyone who had been at the last City-wide PAC meeting said they were uncomfortable that police officers ran the meeting. Citizens were not involved and were not even listened to by police officers. Citizens did not get useful information from each other or police officers. We agreed that the City-wide PAC meeting should be led by PAC leaders. After the next meeting, we will ask City Manager to get all City departments to come to City-wide PAC meetings in a support role. Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 5, 6:30pm, Downtown Library Tentative Meeting with City Manager: Thursday, January 6, 6:00pm, City Hall (Lamont Ewell asked that PAC leaders tell him how effective are the $25,000 in City grants.) Minutes from: |