Home | Computers | Security
Although most major statistics show that the crime rate has been steadily falling across the nation since the 1990's, it can still be a huge problem to contend with in some of the bigger cities across the nation. Like anything, more people tends to breed more problems. While law enforcement agencies and government officials are working diligently to fight crime in their areas, it is a never- ending battle but one that must be waged every day or else anarchy and social unrest ensue. Minneapolis, located in Minnesota, has a population a little under 400,000. Even so, the emergency services receive more than one thousand distress calls every day. And the police, the fire and EMT departments of the emergency services try to process most of them. However, it is not possible to immediately respond to all calls due to budget constraints and the sheer reality of the situation. They give first priority to the calls involving life threatening problems. Then they prioritize the less severe calls for assistance and process them in the most logical manner to provide the best possible service. During peak times, a situation is assessed using the following criteria before a cop is dispatched to the location. The process of such verification and dispatching a cop takes around one hour. An incoming call is considered high priority if 1. there is an immediate threat to life, 2. there are any injuries 3. there is any ongoing criminal action and 4. the offender is present in the immediate vicinity or is expected to return. This prioritization of incoming calls is part of the new initiative by Minneapolis to more effectively handle crime. Rather than spread their force thin responding to low priority calls, the police ration resources so that they are always capable of handling ongoing crimes effectively. It is all part of the new CODEFOR plan. CODEFOR stands for Computer Optimized Deployment—Focus on Results. All sections of the police force are involved in this new crime reduction initiative and it involves four basic ideas: 1. accurate and timely intelligence on crime that is occurring 2. rapid deployment of personnel and resources in appropriate circumstances 3. effective tactics and 4. relentless follow-up and assessment. The ‘Watch Your Car’ program is another initiative taken by Minneapolis to reduce car theft. It is a voluntary program that involves registered owners who sign a release form stating that they are not normally driving their vehicle between 1-5 a.m. This gives the police the right to pull their car over if they spot it on the road during these hours. Participants are given reflective stickers that can be seen by police late at night and if they spot any vehicles with the stickers during the 1-5 a.m. window, they have the right to pull it over despite the fact that no crime has yet been witnessed. It is a radical program but it is having great results and citizens seem pleased with the plan so far. However, it is presumptuous to consider a crime fighting initiative will be 100% effective. But, the Minneapolis police department is certainly trying its best to make the community as safe as possible for its citizens. It is a great incentive for people considering relocating to Minneapolis as the community is committed to fighting crime to make the city safe to live.
Article Source: http://www.rightarticle.com
Heather Woodbine is the chief editor for F minneapolis, the web's premier resource for information about minneapolis. For questions or comments about this article visit: www.yominneapolis.com/articles This and other unique content minneapolis articles are available with free reprint rights.
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
