2021.03.09 City Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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neighborhood meetings be held in 2021 to remind residents of how to keep their vehicles and property secure. He explained residents needed to understand they had to lock doors and shut garage doors. He stated residents also needed to call 911 when something suspicious occurs. Paetznick commented on the number of traffic stops that occurred in 2020 noting the number was down due to COVID. He stated this may have had an impact on crime, as there was not as many stops as in years past. He reviewed factors that are known to affect the volume and type of crime occurring from place to place. He highlighted the importance of calling 911 when residents see something suspicious. He reviewed the Part One crimes that occurred in 2019 versus 2020 in St. Anthony, Columbia Heights, Fridley, Mounds View and Roseville. Further discussion ensued regarding the Part One crimes and increasing number of calls for service that have occurred in New Brighton over the past 20 years. He encouraged residents to stay informed via the New Brighton Public Safety Department's Facebook page, the City's webpage, through the City of New Brighton's quarterly newsletters, Ramsey County emergency alerts, and through neighborhood oriented policing. He reviewed several of the recent newsletter articles the Public Safety Department has printed. Paetznick reviewed the number of sworn officers within the New Brighton Public Safety Department and how this compared to neighboring communities. He discussed how important it was for the community to be engaged and to report criminal activity. He stated crime was not just a law enforcement or criminal justice system problem, but rather was a community problem. He encouraged the public to assist in acting as the eyes and ears, to remove valuables from cars, secure their vehicles, and lock their doors. Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas thanked Director Paetznick for his detailed presentation. Councilmember Allen thanked Director Paetznick for the presentation and for providing transparent data for the crimes that occurred over the past two years. He commented New Brighton was a community of 23,000 but was within a metropolitan area of that had over 2.6 million people. He appreciated the way Director Paetznick focused on ways to reduce crimes of opportunity. He encouraged the department to keep up the high level of patrols in order to keep a strong police presence in the community. Paetznick stated there was merit to have a strong police presence in the City, especially targeted residential patrols in areas where there has been an increase in criminal activity. He noted this does have a deterrent effect. He commented further on the benefit of the City having an overnight parking ordinance. Councilmember Axberg asked how residents can get connected with the Public Safety Department. Paetznick discussed how to find the department's Facebook page. He noted residents can also sign up to receive email newsletter updates. Councilmember Abdulle thanked Director Paetznick for the detailed presentation. He appreciated the fact that the information went back to the 1980's. He commented on how the pandemic was a once in a century type of event. He thanked the department for working diligently to keep the community safe. He requested further clarification on how the department defines "crimes of opportunity". Paetznick explained crimes of opportunity were thefts from vehicles that are unlocked and thefts from garages when garage doors are open. Councilmember Abdulle questioned if there was an uptick in break-ins at apartment buildings. Paetznick stated generally apartment units were not being entered, rather he was seeing criminals break into a single garage stall and going from stall to stall to take valuables. Councilmember Allen explained he serves as the liaison to the Public Safety Commission. He stated there was a delicate balance between why the City's numbers look they way they do. He commented on the catalytic convertor thefts and discussed where most cars were parked outside overnight, which was at multi -family housing units. He indicated the rise in this vehicle theft crime could lead to more patrols at multi -family