rus
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Tigertree wrote >>
I cannot believe with our amazing, aligned response to the meter increase, that there is not more outrage about this. We already struggle with making sure visitors who aren't accustomed to shopping in an urban setting feel safe and comfortable spending their dollars in the short north, and now they will hear that our police force has been cut?
It's almost like people want fewer police in the area...
dru
IV
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rus wrote >>
Tigertree wrote >>
I cannot believe with our amazing, aligned response to the meter increase, that there is not more outrage about this. We already struggle with making sure visitors who aren't accustomed to shopping in an urban setting feel safe and comfortable spending their dollars in the short north, and now they will hear that our police force has been cut?It's almost like people want fewer police in the area...
Not at all. I think this has been a little harder to focus on, because of the delays. But yes, we should react to the loss of 27 dedicated officers for the neighborhood.
AMEEKER
Weinland Park
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The officer at the 5xNW meeting also said that the plan for redistricting is changing often, and that he would report again at the next meeting. March 2 at the 40 Plus building in 5xnw.
More info at http://www.fifthbynorthwest.org
Roland
Clintonville
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I'm struggling trying to determine if this is something to be outraged about. On one hand, perhaps this is a legitimate transfer of resources and coverage is adequate for the VV/IV/SN neighborhoods. Assuming that resource planners know what they are doing.And the other outcome is that we will no longer have adequate coverage in the neighborhood. I just don't know. I do know that I like the current frequency of patrols that I see in VV. The police come in swarms with great response times whenever needed.
I'm cool if this makes sense but I don't have enough information to act on.
coolbuckeye
South Clintonville
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And is there really that much crime in Polaris that they need all 27 officers? Didn’t those residents choose to move up there because it’s "safe"?
catnfiddle
Giant Corncob District
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coolbuckeye wrote >>
And is there really that much crime in Polaris that they need all 27 officers? Didn’t those residents choose to move up there because it’s "safe"?
Do they also need the HORSES? I was really freaked out the one time I came out of Chipotle and ran right into two officers on horseback. Couldn't understand how they'd help with mall traffic.
AMEEKER
Weinland Park
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Roland:
That's kind of how I feel about it. Why would the city choose to move that many officers if it weren't okay? Surely they wouldn't put two/three of cities most most notable historic areas (SN, VV and the up and coming areas surrounding both) in danger? Right?
Mez
Close to GV
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I understand the fears that people have in the redistricting. However as the City has not increased the size of the force nor placed funding for the necessary recruit classes to replace the pending retirements in 2011, the Chief and Commanders need to place officers where the calls for service are the most, or that lack any coverage.
I see that GV area will lose at least one cruiser for their area.
Other areas are gaining after over a decade of pleading with the City to improve their coverage. The East side district was way too expansive.
I would not pass blame on the Rank as the City has also failed to put a plan in place to add officers as they gobbled up land through annexation.
The people up North (Even North of Polaris) have been part of a Precinct where the officers are based on Morse Rd. This was a District that was expanded to cover that area without expanding the number of Line Patrol Officers equally.
The Short North has a valid complaint that they will have Officers that do not know the unique aspects of the area. However, the Officers that would cover that area will be there when you need them. Will there be less cruiser patrols on the streets, probably. Will this lead to more crime, probably not. The best deterrent of Crime is the people that live and work in an area. The SN area became better because people got involved, The GV area became safer because people got involved, the Hilltop WILL become safer because the people are Involved. If you see something that does not look right, call the police and report it. If your car gets broken into and items stolen, Call and make a phone report. If you don't report it then don't complain when they pull officers for another area that has more calls for service.
Overall I think the City will win, but the FOP and the neighborhoods will probably get some sort of concessions for the officers. The plain fact will not change and that the City is lacking Patrol Officers for the Size(Land) not population that we have. If the City does not ramp up recruiting classes we will all see a reduction in Patrol Officers come early 2011.
I for one am not happy with the reduction for my area, and I will do what I can to make sure the at least some of the more experienced officers remain working my neighborhood. If you are concerned
JonMyers
HCMC ✈
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The outrage for me is the bill of goods, fear and bullshit we were sold around law enforcement when they were trying to get the city wide tax increase passed.
Remember this horse shit:
Without tax increase, 300 police officers to be laid offNearly 300 Columbus police officers - 17 percent of the force - will be laid off next year if voters don't approve an income-tax increase on Aug. 4, Columbus Police Chief Walter Distelzweig said this morning
"If we receive additional revenue, these cuts would not be made," Distelzweig said.
Once again we're being fucked because of our memory loss.
Mez
Close to GV
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One of the reasons I Voted NO on this Issue was that those "Promises" were never in the written voted on tax proposal. It was a "Trust Me I Know How To Spend Your Money" moment.
So they say we need it for one thing today to get the vote and then tomorrow that changes and they take our Money for something else. I am all for the Police and Fire protection and said that I would be mroe than happy to pay more for that as long as I know that it will go to expand the protections.
How many times will we let government leaders (Liberal use of the word) tell us one thing to get the Squeaky wheel greased and then toss the same wheel to the side after they get what they want?
JonMyers
HCMC ✈
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Mez wrote >>
One of the reasons I Voted NO on this Issue was that those "Promises" were never in the written voted on tax proposal. It was a "Trust Me I Know How To Spend Your Money" moment.
So they say we need it for one thing today to get the vote and then tomorrow that changes and they take our Money for something else. I am all for the Police and Fire protection and said that I would be mroe than happy to pay more for that as long as I know that it will go to expand the protections.
How many times will we let government leaders (Liberal use of the word) tell us one thing to get the Squeaky wheel greased and then toss the same wheel to the side after they get what they want?
Yep, total fucking con job. The "strong urban core", the "spine of the creative economy" got straight up suckered. Again... We were played. again...., which is what makes me furious.
I'll be damned if I ever do a thing for these con-artists again. I'm over it.
cr0m
"Lower" Hilliard
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Roland wrote >>
I'm struggling trying to determine if this is something to be outraged about. On one hand, perhaps this is a legitimate transfer of resources and coverage is adequate for the VV/IV/SN neighborhoods. Assuming that resource planners know what they are doing.And the other outcome is that we will no longer have adequate coverage in the neighborhood. I just don't know. I do know that I like the current frequency of patrols that I see in VV. The police come in swarms with great response times whenever needed.
I'm cool if this makes sense but I don't have enough information to act on.
I completely agree. I also "want" to think that officials know how important the SN is to this city and the independent business located there. Endangering that area would be really bad for ones political career. However, John's distrust in officials is warranted; politicians and lying go hand-in-hand. I'm never shocked by their actions. I'm neutral on this for now.
labi
Weinland Park
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I don't personally understand this feeling that somehow we were sold a bill of goods on the income tax increase. The city didn't say they were going to increase police. They said they didn't have enough money to pay for what they/we had. No increase would have meant cuts. Getting the tax increase meant that the existing police force size could continue.
This redeployment isn't a citywide reduction in police. It's just a redeployment. Just because it will probably reduce police presence in one neighborhood doesn't mean that the city somehow decided to fuck that single neighborhood on purpose. I really don't think city government is that coordinated.
The Short North has been almost completely gentrified. I'm not totally informed on the data yet, but I suspect there's a plausible argument that there is less need for police as a result of that gentrification.
If you're worried about suburban people FEELING safe in the SN, I'm not sure you could ever create that feeling of safety just by increasing police. Certainly suburbanites feel many times safer now than they did 15 years ago; the policing levels have been constant, not increased, during that time.
Every downtown person whose eyes kind of glaze over when people start talking about the seriously detrimental effects of urban sprawl should maybe pay more attention in the future, rather than bitch about how the SN was screwed on the police redeployment. We get a whole lot of press coverage, but we're not the only neighborhood in Columbus.
JonMyers
HCMC ✈
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I don't think they are fucking a neighborhood on purpose. We're just having yet another moment where the incompetence of city officials is shining through.
The message from city officials when trying to pass the city-wide tax increase was ALL around public safety and fear. Pass this increase if you don't want to see an increase in crime and a delay in fire response times. There were a lot of people that bought into it and stumped on behalf of the city to push that message. Public safety was at stake if this is not passed. I feel conned by that message and the current approach to public safety in the Short North.
Well here we are. Crime is on the rise. Police response times in the Short North are absolutely pathetic at this point. In fact, you can't even get a human on the phone anymore when you call the Columbus Police non-emergency line. Have a car break-in? Just leave the details with an automated phone attendant. They don't even bother sending an officer to the scene anymore due to the volume of car break-ins.
Three weeks ago a friend that lives a block from High street in the Italian Village had his house burglarized. The burglar entered the downstairs of his home while he was sitting upstairs watching a movie with his 6 year old daughter and his wife. This burglary was the catalyst that prompted him to accept a job in Raleigh and move out of this city. There will be more people that leave when their feelings that this city doesn't have its shit together are validated. In fact, I know many people looking to get out.
I could drop more criminal anecdote after anecdotes like the one above. I know of dozens. It's crystal clear to me that crime is up here and it will get progressively worse the warmer it gets. Our current policing strategy is not working. Reducing the number of officers will not help matters.
And yes, I'm not naive enough to think that crime doesn't or should never happen. I know I'm "living in the city". I've lived in plenty of big cities 5 - 10x's the size of Columbus. I have a reasonable expectation of public safety. I know crime happens. I get it.
That said, again - policing efforts in the Short North are failing. I can't see how reducing the number of officers in the Short North will improve police response times in this "crown jewel of urbanism" that we're trying replicate all over the city.
Anyhow, where did I say anything about "suburban people feeling safe" in the Short North? Thanks for elaborating and enlightening me on a non-existent point I never made.
As far as complete gentrification goes. When we get rid of the blood bank, White Castle, Dollar Store, Mike's Bar, Bollinger Tower, the sex shop and the check cashing place we might get "completely gentrified".
Otherwise we have a ways to go.
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