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