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Wednesday, June 1, 2005
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Numbers don't tell whole story about safe neighborhoods
Staff Writer What makes a safe neighborhood largely depends upon perception.
In Brainerd in 2004, the total number of crimes increased by about 200 over 2003 -- the highest crime total in five years.
However, those numbers are just part of the story. Continued growth in Brainerd and the surrounding area as well as a proactive approach to crime prevention by the police department and neighborhood groups have led to more arrests, thus the higher crime numbers.
Overall, Brainerd Police Chief John Bolduc believes Brainerd's neighborhoods are safe places to live.
"A lot of neighborhood residents feel safe, but you ask residents in neighborhoods where violent crimes took place, they probably don't," Bolduc said. "Granted, crime can happen anywhere, but Brainerd residents are safe and Brainerd neighborhoods are safe."
Butch Dallaire, a northeast Brainerd resident and member of the Northeast Brainerd Residents Association, agreed with Bolduc. He gave credit to the neighborhood group's aggressive approach to cleaning up his neighborhood.
"I feel safe in my neighborhood," he said. "There will always be a little vandalism, people breaking into stuff, and not just in northeast Brainerd. I hope in time, with more people watching and volunteering, those things will stop, too."
Still, Brainerd Police officers continue to fight the increase in crime. Since 1999 the city of Brainerd has seen a 39 percent increase in overall activity and that's directly related to growth -- not just in Brainerd but throughout the area, Bolduc said. With growth, Brainerd's population is getting younger, he added, and on a national level younger people are committing more crimes than they did in 2004.
However, the most severe crimes such as murder, assault and rape, decreased in 2004. Driving the crime rate up, Bolduc said, are lesser crimes such as theft, fraud, driving under the influence and property damage.
"The little crimes, those lead to bigger crimes," Bolduc said. "So if we can crack down on them, if we are diligent in the little things, sometimes the bigger things will fall into place."
Another reason for an increase in crime, Bolduc said, is a proactive approach to enforcement taken by law enforcement officers. The police department, as well as other agencies, gas been working with residents to call police when they see something suspicious. With more eyes watching, more crimes are being reported and more arrests are being made.
"The challenge for us as a police department is to stabilize crime rates and start pushing them downward," Bolduc said.
People can protect themselves. Remove valuables from vehicles and lock doors. Have security systems in houses. Get to know neighbors and form neighborhood watches. Dallaire noted that crime went down in northeast Brainerd after the residents' group began watching things.
There are also more subtle ways of fighting crime, one of which is keeping a clean neighborhood. That's where the city of Brainerd is addressing the "broken windows" theory.
"If the first broken window in a building is not repaired, then people who like breaking windows will assume that no one cares about the building and more windows will be broken. Soon the building will have no windowsÉ"
That is the essence of the broken windows theory, penned in 1982 by James Wilson and George Kelling for the Atlantic Monthly.
The correlation, said Elizabeth Harris, Brainerd Police crime prevention specialist, is if a neighborhood looks bad it can promote criminal activity.
"These neighborhoods foster an idea of destruction, they attract crime. Messy neighborhoods make criminals feel more comfortable." she said. New York City was the first city to implement the broken windows theory. Minneapolis, where Harris previously worked, also has.
In Brainerd, Harris said there had been a concern about the lack of enforcement of ordinances relating to nuisances. It has been in the past two years that the city of Brainerd has been more strictly enforcing its nuisance ordinances. Nuisances that fall within the ordinance are such things as garbage in yards, unmowed lawns, junk piles and cars parked on lawns.
"The police department made the connection a long time ago between rundown property, poorly managed property and crime," Harris said. "These things give the appearance of an unkempt neighborhood."
A portion of Brainerd's housing stock has been neglected, Harris said, and that's hurting the entire city. Making neighborhoods appealing and reducing crime is what Bolduc and Harris hope for.
"We're just barely getting off the ground," Bolduc said.
Nuisances were complaint-driven but this spring the Brainerd Police community service officers have been systematically patrolling neighborhoods to search for violations. If a violation is found, the police department will ask a property owner to fix it. If it is not abated, a $25 citation could be issued. A second offense would result in a $50 fine, a third offense a $100 fine. If all else fails a $200 fine and a court appearance could be the result.
"Our goal is not to fine anybody. Our goal is clean neighborhoods," Bolduc said. "We want compliance, not revenue."
The city of Brainerd and the police department have spent a lot of time educating property owners of the nuisance ordinances and Bolduc said it has paid off. "We're finding excellent compliance," he said.
Bolduc also points to cultural factors that lead to crime. Alcohol and drug abuse that stem from family instability, violence in media and the degradation of the influence of traditional institutions such as schools and churches are all factors that can affect crime, he said.
Are things getting better or worse?
"I think worse," he said. "Those trends are not improving, so it's no surprise these crime trends are starting to rebound."
MATT ERICKSON can be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.
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