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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8215 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No, 8215 October 19, 1999 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council SAFE CITY USA Subject: Safe City USA is a cooperative effort between the City of Fort Worth, Fort Worth Police Department, Tarrant County District Attorney, United States Attorney, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Secret Service and the citizens of Fort Worth. The program is administered through the Crime Prevention Resource Center, and is ftinded entirely through private sector donations. During the first year, Safe City USA will target gun crime. A privately funded marketing strategy will inform potential criminals that Gun Crimes Means Hard Time. The objectives of Safe City USA are to reduce gun-related crime in Fort Worth, to reduce the number of illegal guns on our streets, to maximize sentences for those who choose to commit a crime with a gun in Fort Worth, and to increase citizen awareness of appropriate ways to be involved in the prevention of gun crime and violence. The citizens' awareness will come in the form of public service announcements, billboards, bus signs and benches, radio and television advertising and educational materials for law enforcement officers, schools and the general public. On October 5, 1999, Co�uncilmember Picht said he believes we need a hotline for people with concerns about drugs, and wanted to know who qualifies for federal prosecution, etc., as it relates to the Safe City USA program. While playing a significant role in the planning and implementation of Safe City USA, the City of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Police Department are partners with several other participants. On October 6, 1999, the Safe City USA planning group met and addressed the issue of a dedicated telephone number for the project. The issue of gun "tips" from citizens was discussed and whether a "hot line" needed to be established. It was suggested during the discussion that the Crime Stoppers number be used for tips and that Crime Stoppers personnel keep track of the number of calls generated by the Safe City program. It was finally decided, after much discussion, that the safe City project was not intended to generate crime tips regarding guns and there was no need to establish a hot line or publish the Crime Stoppers telephone number. It was also pointed out that the bus benches and some other advertising media were intentionally created without a telephone number to avoid the issue of generating tips and to avoid creating a labor intensive dedicated telephone line. The Crime Prevention Resource Center is accepting whatever calls are generated and are responding appropriately. Crime Prevention Resource Center personnel are handling the calls that indicate interest in the program by giving the caller information ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH,TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8215 &W-T E!I�D ® To the Mayor and Members of the City Council October 19, 1999 r�60 4�1 Page 2 of 2 Subject: SAFE CITY USA rats and mailing them information. The calls of an enforcement nature are transferred to and tracked by Crime Stoppers. Since the program kick-off date, September 28, 1999, the Crime Prevention Resource Center has received a total of eighteen (18) telephone calls about Safe City USA. There have been no calls since October 7, 1999. The majority of calls (16 of 18) have been requests for general information, offers of support for the program, ideas about how to volunteer. One call was from a parent of an Arlington Heights student who was concerned about her child's gang involvement. She was referred to her NPO and the Gang Unit. In addition, she was sent brochures about what parents can do about gang involvement. One caller wanted to know if convicted felons can carry weapons. The question was answered by the Crime Prevention Coordinator who is a former Fort Worth police officer. The caller was also referred to the non-emergency police number and Crime Stoppers. Of the 18 calls, it is interesting to note that I I of the callers were from outside the City of Fort Worth, including Arlington, Lewisville, Grapevine, McAllen, Stephenville, Argyle, North Richland Hills, Connecticut, Plano, Irving, and Crowley. Four callers did not give their addresses --just l" ' offered support of the pro-ram. According to the Crime Prevention Resource Center personnel, who met with the Texas Attorney General's office on October 7, 1999, the Attorney General intends to announce a Texas Exile hot line number that will be an "800" number answered by DPS. This is supposed to be kicked off before the end of the calendar year. We recommend that we delay consideration of establishing a dedicated line for such calls until (1) the demand warrants the investment or (2) we can evaluate the effectiveness of using the Attorney General's number, Crime Stoppers' number, and Crime Prevention Resource Center's number. If additional information is desired, please contact Assistant City Manager Libby Watson o or alph Mendoza, Acting Chief of Police. r E �Bo Terrell" f�6-i Bo �M �� anager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS -------------—