--- title: "Reducing Crime and Disorder in Lima, Ohio Utilizing PinPoint Patrolling" type: "pdf" year: "2010" canonical: "/projects/702" --- # Reducing Crime and Disorder in Lima, Ohio Utilizing # Table of Contents - [Reducing Crime and Disorder in Lima, Ohio Utilizing](#reducing-crime-and-disorder-in-lima-ohio-utilizing) - [Pin-Point Patrolling](#pin-point-patrolling) - [Summary](#summary) - [Reducing Crime and Disorder in Lima, Ohio Utilizing Pin-Point Patrolling](#reducing-crime-and-disorder-in-lima-ohio-utilizing-pin-point-patrolling) - [Scanning:](#scanning) - [Analysis:](#analysis) - [Assessment:](#assessment) - [Project Description](#project-description) - [Reducing Crime and Disorder in Lima, Ohio Utilizing Pin-Point Patrolling](#reducing-crime-and-disorder-in-lima-ohio-utilizing-pin-point-patrolling) - [Scanning:](#scanning) - [Analysis:](#analysis) - [Response:](#response) - [Assessment:](#assessment) - [Conclusion:](#conclusion) - [Reference](#reference) - [Appendix A](#appendix-a) - [Pinpoint policing Lima police target crime hot spots with the help of computer data, local businesses and residents Goodbye 'riffraff' at Cole-Allentown By GREG SOWINSKI - gsowinski@limanews.com - 419-993-2090](#pinpoint-policing-lima-police-target-crime-hot-spots-with-the-help-of-computer-data-local-businesses-and-residents-goodbye-riffraff-at-cole-allentown-by-greg-sowinski-gsowinskilimanewscom-419-993-2090) - [Appendix B](#appendix-b) - [Pinpoint policing success St. Johns-Catalpa area targeted By GREG SOWINSKI gsowinski@limanews.com 419-993-2090](#pinpoint-policing-success-st-johns-catalpa-area-targeted-by-greg-sowinski-gsowinskilimanewscom-419-993-2090) - [Appendix C](#appendix-c) - [PINPOINT POLICING Police survey third target area By GREG SOWINSKI gsowinski@limanews.com 419-993-2090](#pinpoint-policing-police-survey-third-target-area-by-greg-sowinski-gsowinskilimanewscom-419-993-2090) ## Pin-Point Patrolling Submitted by: J. Gregory Garlock - Chief of Police Lima Police Department 117 E. Market St. Lima, OH 45801 A submission for consideration of the Lima Police Department's Pin-Point Patrolling Project by the Selection Committee for the 2010 Herman Goldstein Award for Excellence in Problem—Oriented Policing May, 2010 # Summary ## Reducing Crime and Disorder in Lima, Ohio Utilizing Pin-Point Patrolling ## Scanning: The City of Lima, Ohio experienced a rapid rise in crime in 2008. At the same time, like many departments across the country, the Lima Police Department was experiencing budgetary cutbacks. The Lima Police Department needed to find a way to deliver the personnel and other resources necessary to deal with the rising crime rate within the community while keeping within its budget. In short, the department had to determine how it could do more to keep the citizens safe but with fewer resources. ## Analysis: Calls for service and incident report data were analyzed through the use of crime mapping software, in order to determine the City's highest crime concentration areas (designated as "pin-point" areas). Next, the issues were analyzed with input from officers. Officers were asked to compare their observations with the data obtained and analyzed through computer software. Lastly, officers conducted door to door surveys of residents and business owners/employees within the pin-point areas, to further analyze the crime issues from the community's perspective. Response: Lima Police Department personnel were then able to formulate responses to the specific problems dominating each of the identified pin-point areas. The responses included a concentration of police personnel in various capacities (such as bike patrols, foot patrols, vehicle patrols, unmarked units, etc.) Additionally, other resources were applied, such as working with the local building and zoning inspector and Department of Community Development, directly engaging the City's Law Department, establishing a direct liaison with the Northwest Ohio Crime / Narcotics Task Force, etc. # Assessment: The Lima community realized the following benefits as a result of the Lima Police Department's pin-point patrolling efforts: - $12.3 \%$ reduction in UCR Part I crimes from 2008 to 2009 - $7.03 \%$ reduction in UCR Part I violent crimes from 2008 to 2009 - $9.2 \%$ reduction in UCR Part I crimes for January 1 through April 30, 2010 compared to same period in 2009 - $42.7 \%$ reduction in UCR Part I violent crimes for January 1 through April 30, 2010 compared to same period in 2009 - $32.8 \%$ reduction in assaults/disturbances relative to schools from 2008 to 2009 # Project Description ## Reducing Crime and Disorder in Lima, Ohio Utilizing Pin-Point Patrolling ## Scanning: Lima, Ohio is a demographically diverse community of approximately 40,000 people. It is located on Interstate 75 in northwest Ohio, roughly equidistant from Toledo and Dayton, Ohio. Like many cities within this region of the country, Lima saw a declining population along with a declining industrial base throughout the 1980's and 1990's. Beginning in the late 1980's, Lima began seeing a dramatic increase in crime, related in large part to the introduction of "Crack-Cocaine" within the community. By the mid 1990's, the Lima Police Department committed itself to a philosophy of Community Oriented and Problem Oriented Policing in an effort to tackle the problems of crime, fear of crime and neighborhood decay within its jurisdiction. This philosophy was developed around the concept of "neighborhood police officers" assigned to specific neighborhood outstations. The neighborhood officers were tasked with identifying problems within their respective neighborhoods and bringing together the resources necessary to solve or reduce the impact of the problems identified. Additionally, the neighborhood officers were able to focus on developing good working relationships with the residents, business owners and employees within their respective neighborhoods. These working relationships, in turn, fostered greater levels of communication between the community and the police. The increased levels of trust and communication made problem identification and problem solving even more successful. This implementation of COP/POP was, in fact, quite successful. For instance, the Riverside North Neighborhood area (which was chosen as the pilot site for implementation) was accounting for approximately nineteen percent (nearly one in every five) of all calls for service to the Lima Police Department, annually. After the first year of COP/POP implementation, the same area accounted for less than five percent (or less than one in twenty) of all calls for service. This was in addition to significant reductions in the crime rate for the entire City of Lima. Unfortunately, as effective as this method of policing was, it had one distinct draw back. This method of police service delivery was very labor intensive. It required a staffing level that was unsustainable for Lima's General Fund Budget. Whereas the neighborhood officers had flexible schedules and would work at the times of day best suited for the needs of the neighborhood, other officers still had to be maintained around the clock. The other officers were assigned to more "traditional" policing duties, such as calls for service response and traffic enforcement, which are still needed twenty-four hours per day. An adequate number of officers (shift minimums) had to be maintained around the clock to respond to unexpected emergencies, as well. The neighborhood officers could not reasonably be counted in the shift minimums. In time, budgetary shortfalls forced the Lima Police Department to cut back on its neighborhood officers and neighborhood substations. The Lima Police Department went from a sworn strength of ninety-seven officers in the late 1990's to only eighty officers, currently. Eventually, the City of Lima began to again see its crime rate increase. Lima experienced a $24.4 \%$ increase in UCR Type I crimes in 2008 from the previous year. Even more alarming was the $43.1 \%$ increase in UCR Part I Violent Crimes from 2007 to 2008. Additionally, residents and business owners began complaining of a lack of responsiveness on the part of the Lima Police Department. Much of the trust and increased communication fostered by the neighborhood officers was lost. With no signs of the City's revenue sources increasing, the Lima Police Department had to find a better way to meet the challenges of increasing crime and disorder within the reality that it would have to be done without increasing staffing. In other words, how could the Lima Police Department identify specific problems to be addressed, apply adequate resources to deal with those problems and still maintain adequate "around the clock" staffing to meet the demands of unplanned emergencies? # Analysis: Prior to formulating a response, members of the department undertook a three part analysis of the "crime picture" in Lima. The first part of the analysis consisted of computerized crime mapping of calls for service data and incident report data. This was a means to look at the data in a "clinical" or "matter of fact" context. It allowed departmental personnel to determine the geographical locations of greatest demand for police services. It also allowed them to determine the times of day and days of the week in which specific types of problems were occurring. The computerized analysis also broke down calls by violent vs. non-violent offense types. It was determined that the areas of greatest demand for overall police service were also the areas in which the highest volume of violent crime was occurring. From this analysis, the three highest crime areas were selected as pin-point areas and were designated to receive the greatest level of pro-active attention. The next step in the analysis was to speak with street officers. Officers were asked about their observations and experiences within the designated areas. They were asked to identify specific addresses and/or people they believed were responsible (either directly or indirectly) for the problems occurring within the given area. Officers also gave their input as to what quality of life issues were detracting most from the given area (such as loud music, gangs loitering, etc.). The officers were also asked how they would approach solving the problems as they see them. There was a unanimous consensus among the street officers that the thing needed most for addressing crime and quality of life issues within the designated areas would be time. Officers advised they needed to have some manner of being relieved from more traditional policing duties before they could reasonably be expected to pro-actively enforce quality of life and/or crime related issues. Additionally, of the three designated pin-point areas, the officers were asked to help choose the one that would be best suited for selection as a pilot project area. Officers felt the neighborhood around Cole St. and Allentown Rd. in Lima would be the best choice as a pilot project area. The reasoning behind this choice was that even though crime and quality of life issues were seemingly out of control, they had not been this way for long. Officers felt the areas residents and business owners would still be more likely to cooperate fully with the police department. Furthermore, the high volume of problems appeared to be centered on a few very precise locations within the neighborhood and many of the "key players" were known to officers. For these reasons, the neighborhood surrounding the Cole St. and Allentown area was selected as the initial pilot project area for pin-point policing. Lastly, a simple, three question survey was developed. Officers were assigned to go door to door throughout the pin-point area and speak to as many residents, business owners and employees as possible. This was done over a several day period. If on the first attempt to make contact, a resident was not at home, the officers would make additional attempts at contact. The questions were as follows: 1. What are the three biggest problems in your neighborhood? 2. Are there particular addresses or individuals that you are concerned about? 3. What should the police department be doing to help solve these problems? Once the survey process was completed, the information gathered was tabulated. Like answers were grouped and counted. For the Cole and Allentown neighborhood area, the top three problems identified were (in descending order - most prevalent to least): 1. Loud Music 2. Drugs 3. Loitering Another very important benefit of the community surveys was it gave officers a purpose for exiting patrol vehicles and speaking to community members. It allowed for free and open dialogue between officers and citizens in a relaxed, non-confrontational manner. Both community members and officers reported this as being a very positive experience. # Response: Once the data was collected, tabulated and evaluated (analyzed) as outlined above, shift supervisors were assigned the task of developing plans to respond to the identified problems. The supervisors were encouraged to be creative in their approaches (again with input from shift officers as well as input obtained through the community survey). The only limiting guidelines were that any/all responses must be legal (within the guidelines of the U.S. Constitution; federal, state and local laws; and within Lima Police Department Policies and Procedures) and the responses must be ethical. The first part of the response had to include a method for allowing officers adequate time within every shift to pro-actively attack the problems within the target area. Supervisors requested and were given permission to assign only three of the six officers normally working on a shift to "traditional" calls for service response. These officers were designated as "call takers." The remaining three officers and a supervisor would be assigned as a "problem solving team" during each shift. This idea was developed from the "Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment" and the "Team Policing Concept" (Peak \& Glensor, 1992, pp. 15 19). The Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment taught that little, if any, benefit was gained by having all patrol units on a given shift assigned to individual patrol "beats" randomly patrolling about when not on assigned calls. The concept of Team Policing was modified for pin-point patrolling in Lima by not keeping the officers in a single geographic neighborhood but rather allowing them to move into new areas as crime patterns would shift. The concept of the officers working together in a team as generalists, however, proved to be very productive. One significant problem anticipated in this change in deployment strategy for officers was that response times to non-urgent calls for service would likely be increased dramatically. A likely outcry from the public (which had become somewhat accustomed in Lima to quick, rapid patrol response regardless of the type or nature of call) was predicted for any/all areas not directly benefitting from pin-point patrolling. To help prevent the outcry from occurring, Lima Police Department administrators and lieutenants began a campaign of educating the public about the concept of pin-point patrolling as well as the benefits for the entire community. The educational campaign began even before the pin-point pilot project was implemented. Lima Police Department personnel began getting the word out the City Mayor's Press Conference, speaking before the local City Council, providing presentations on the topic at various local service organizations, providing presentations to the various neighborhood associations within Lima and promoting as many positive news stories on various local media outlets as possible. This effort, in fact, continues today. Once it was determined how the problem of providing time for officers to be more pro-active would be solved, patrol supervisors formulated a response plan for the specific problems of the pilot area. Both short term and long term goals were developed, as well as strategies to achieve the goals. The pilot project for Lima's Pin-Point Patrolling concept was implemented beginning the first weekend in May, 2009. Strategies included suggestions made by neighborhood members during the survey process. One such example is in the case of loud music. As was noted previously, loud music was the most prevalent complaint mentioned by people within the Cole and Allentown neighborhood area. Most of the loud music was said to be coming from vehicles. Officers explained to several of the residents that enforcement of the local noise ordinance is difficult when coming from vehicles as the offending drivers will normally see the marked patrol units approaching and turn down his/her music before the officer is close enough to establish which vehicle the loud music is coming from. Various residents within the neighborhood suggested one officer drive an unmarked car to listen for the violations and then call for a marked unit to make the stop once the violation is determined. This strategy has proven very valuable. Not only because of the number of noise citations that were issued but because word began spreading throughout the community that officers were utilizing this approach and more people began voluntarily complying with the local noise ordinance while driving. Other plain clothes operations, such as prostitution details, have also proven to be invaluable. High visibility patrol tactics, including foot and bike patrols, are often used, as well. Grant overtime operations, such as those paid for from the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) and Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant, are targeted within the pin-point patrolling areas. Further, they are targeted at the specific causes of problems within the areas. For instance, when it was determined that juveniles out after curfew were responsible for much of the violent crime within the pin-point areas (including a significant percentage of armed robberies and strong-arm robberies), targeted curfew enforcement operations were carried out with the use of grant overtime. Although the number of curfew arrests increased significantly during the time frame in which the operations were carried out (as compared to the same time frame in the previous year), juvenile arrests for violent and other serious felony offenses (such as burglary) decreased significantly. Other approaches were also taken. One such approach was working with the local Building and Zoning Inspector to have problem houses and buildings closed down. Officers began issuing three day warning notices for code violations (such as tall grass and weeds, abandoned junk autos, trash in yards, etc.) and turning the violation notices into the local Department of Community Development office, which helped to expedite the process of getting properties cleaned up and making the neighborhood look better. A liaison was established to work directly with a member of the local narcotics task force (Northwest Ohio Crime Task Force). By having a liaison with a specific point of contact at the task force, communication was expedited and cooperation was increased. Street officers and task force members were able to coordinate efforts and move more quickly on illegal drug operations within the area. The Lima City Law Director agreed to appoint a "Pin-Point Prosecutor" within the Lima Municipal Court's Prosecutor's Office. The Pin-Point Prosecutor would be responsible for all criminal and traffic cases generated within the pinpoint area. (When pin-point patrolling was expanded to three areas within the City, the Prosecutor's Office appointed a separate prosecutor to be responsible for each pin-point area). Having a specific prosecutor responsible for all cases generating from within the assigned area allows for that prosecutor to become more familiar with the problems and needs of the area. As success was realized within a relatively short period of time within the pilot project area, the concept of pin-point patrolling was expanded - first into the area around Catalpa Ave. and St. John's Ave. and then into the Riverside North Neighborhood area. With officers being spread more thinly over three areas, it was anticipated that much of the criminal element that had either moved from the Cole and Allentown area or had simply become dormant for a time would begin to become active within the area once again (as nature abhors a vacuum). The Allen County (Ohio) Sheriff's Department very graciously agreed to assist in overcoming this obstacle by agreeing to supplement patrols in all three pin-point areas during peak times. The ACSO patrol supervisors coordinate with LPD patrol supervisors to ensure they do not provide high visibility patrol during "plain clothes" or undercover operations. This concept has also been modified to fit specific problems as they occur by time of day, day of week and time of year. The midnight watch has begun tracking closely the problem bars, not only by geographic location but also by which bars have the highest volumes of problems on which nights of the week and adjust their pin-point patrol assignments accordingly. Another example includes the day- watch, as it was experiencing a high volume of fight calls to two specific schools within the City, during the school year. The day- watch, subsequently, assigned officers to these schools on a regular, on-going basis, throughout the school year. This has greatly reduced the incidents of assault relative to schools for this year school year, compared to the previous school year. The number of fight calls is down as well as the number of students that have been arrested. # Assessment: The benefits of pin-point patrolling for Lima, Ohio have been significant. Lima experienced a 12.3\% reduction in all Part I UCR crimes from 2008 to 2009. UCR Part I Violent Crimes were reduced by $7.03 \%$ from 2008 to 2009. As a means of checking to see if this is a trend and not just a one time anomaly, the UCR statistics were for the time period of January 1, 2010 through April 30, 2010 were compared to the same time period in 2009. In the first four months of 2010, a reduction in all UCR Part I crimes of $9.2 \%$ was realized. More importantly, a $42.7 \%$ reduction in UCR Part I Violent Crime was realized in the same time period for 2010, when compared to 2009. The efforts within the Lima City School system helped to bring about significant reductions in the number of fights occurring at school. In all, a $32.8 \%$ reduction in arrests for assaults/disturbances relative to schools was seen in 2009 compared to 2008 ( 40 arrests in 2008 compared to 28 arrests in 2009). Targeted curfew enforcement operations saw a 61\% increase in the number of juveniles arrested for curfew violations (a status offense, only) during the time period the operations were conducted, when compared to the same time frame the previous year. However, 2009 saw a dramatic reduction in various other offenses committed by juveniles when compared to 2008. Rape offenses perpetrated by juveniles decreased from 16 in 2008 to 9 in 2009 (43.8\% reduction). Juvenile robberies declined from 50 in 2008 to 31 in 2009 (38\% reduction). Juvenile assaults (both simple and aggravated) decreased from 356 in 2008 to 280 in 2009 ( $21.3 \%$ reduction). Juvenile theft offenses declined from 176 in 2008 to 108 in 2009 ( $38.6 \%$ reduction). # Conclusion: Calls for service data and incident report data will regularly and continually be re-evaluated by the Lima Police Department to ensure the efforts of the problem solving officers are being utilized in the areas with greatest need for police services. Chief Harry Dolan of the Raleigh, North Carolina Police Department has used an analogy to describe how police resources are best used. He points out that firefighters go to where they know a fire already exists rather than driving around hoping to find another fire (while the one they know exists continues to burn). Likewise, the Lima Police Department endeavors to put out the "crime fires" that already exist within the Lima community. The concept of pin-point patrolling was developed to help in this effort. Further, the concept of pin-point patrolling in Lima, Ohio will continue to be "tweaked" and modified. For instance, a decision was recently made, at the suggestion of a shift lieutenant to develop a flier (possibly door hangar) that will let the residents within a new pin-point area know the results of the survey when it is completed. The fliers will be given directly to residents, by officers, if they are home when the officers return. If they are not home, the flier will be left in a conspicuous place. Although the Lima Police Department will continue to look for ways to improve upon this concept, it will not go away anytime soon. The success of pinpoint patrolling within the City of Lima, Ohio can be seen in the reduction of crime and disorder since its implementation. # Reference Peak, K. J., \& Glensor, R. W. (1999). Community policing and problem solving: strategies and practices. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. # Appendix A Article Published in May 29, 2009 Edition of "The Lima News" Publication:Freedom - Lima;Date:May 29, 2009;Section:News;Page Number:A1 ## Pinpoint policing Lima police target crime hot spots with the help of computer data, local businesses and residents Goodbye 'riffraff' at Cole-Allentown By GREG SOWINSKI - gsowinski@limanews.com - 419-993-2090 LIMA — Standing like proud children who just brought home report cards with straight As, Lima Police officers revealed their newest crimefighting weapon Thursday while boasting of its success. "Pinpoint policing" is the latest weapon in the arsenal police and business owners around the intersection of North Cole Street and Allentown Road touted as a success. Just a month ago, area business owners and police feared the neighborhood was about to be taken over by crime. Complaints to police were numerous, led by drug dealing, loitering and panhandling, and loud music, said Lt. Chip Protsman, of the Lima Police Department. "We had a fear it was teetering one way or another," Protsman said. Police turned to their computers to see where the source of the complaints were, which happened to be that intersection. They met with area business owners, who were fed up with the problems. Police then walked the neighborhood, asking residents to fill out surveys that identified problems. Once identified, police began an enforcement blitz that included walking the neighborhood, bike patrols and undercover officers on the street. Within three weeks the "riffraff," as many called it, were gone. "That shows you what can happen when citizens get involved," Protsman said. Raj Patel, who owns the Valero gas station and convenience store at the intersection, said he is pleased by the quick response and results the police department brought. "All I'm trying to do is make it a better and safer place for all our customers and the neighborhood. I want them feeling safe coming in during the day or night," he said. The area around Patel's gas station was a hangout for teens and young adults. There weren't any major problems, but the groups of people gathered worried customers, Patel said. "There were a lot of the walk-in customers who were afraid to walk in because of the riffraff," he said. Sal Alkhatib, who owns the restaurant Lazeza near the intersection, said the groups of people gathering scared off customers. "I was losing my clientele. People were afraid to come down here," he said. Since police got involved, people are stopping by to eat again, he said. Pinpoint policing, as it was named based on an old way police used to create hotspot crime locations by sticking pins into a map, also combines community-oriented policing concepts. The problems are identified, and police flood the neighborhood, looking for problems while creating a presence, Protsman said. Enforcement initiated by officers jumped from 25 percent to 60 percent when comparing May 2008 to the same period this year, Protsman said. Police continue to use pinpoint policing to target problem areas. Although they experienced fast success at Allentown and Cole, their pilot project, they know that may not always happen. For pinpoint policing to be successful, Protsman said there must be three elements: citizen complaints, crime mapping to determine hotspots and a willingness by residents to get involved. Even after police leave, residents can be the eyes and ears of the neighborhood to alert police of problems. Police also will increase patrols at various times around Cole and Allentown on top of regular patrols to discourage the criminal element from returning, said Lima Police Maj. Kevin Martin. The next area police plan to target with pinpoint policing is at the intersection of St. Johns and Catalpa avenues. Officers are passing out surveys now, Protsman said. Martin urged citizens to follow this example of a success story to work to improve or take back their neighborhoods. He also urged citizens to report problems to police. "If we do all work together, I believe Lima's better days are ahead of us," he said. You can comment on this story at www.limaohio.com. ![img-0.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/10-31/img-0.jpeg) CRAIG J. OROSZ - The Lima News Lt. Chip Protsman of the Lima Police Department speaks Thursday about the latest method of "pinpoint policing" during a press conference at the Valero gas station on Cole Street at Allentown Road. ![img-1.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/10-31/img-1.jpeg) NATE WARNECKE $\cdot$ The Lima News # Appendix B Article Published in July 3, 2009 Edition of "The Lima News" Publication:Freedom - Lima;Date:Jul 3, 2009;Section:News;Page Number:A1 ## Pinpoint policing success St. Johns-Catalpa area targeted By GREG SOWINSKI gsowinski@limanews.com 419-993-2090 LIMA — Stepping away from the meetings and the paperwork, police Maj. Kevin Martin hit the streets last week, walking the neighborhood near St. Johns and Catalpa avenues talking with citizens, shaking hands and mainly just being a presence for the bad guys to see. Martin joined other officers in the area as part of a police operation dubbed "pinpoint policing" where officers swarm an area on foot, on bikes and in cars in hopes of running off the bad guys. "I worked Friday evening walking foot patrol and the difference can be seen," Martin said. The blitz started with officers passing out surveys to identify the top problems. The No. 1 problem was shots fired, followed by drug sales and loud music, said Lt. Chip Protsman. The area bordered Fairview Avenue to the north, Catalpa Avenue to the South, Highland Avenue to the East and Hughes Avenue to the West, he said. During the blitz from May 14 to June 30, police arrested 23 people while responding to 222 service calls of which 115 were generated by an officer. During the same period last year, officers had 146 service calls of which 33 were initiated by the officer, Protsman said. "The fact we were out there before we got calls was something the residents seemed to appreciate," he said. "We're stopping the crime before it occurs." Officers also wrote 34 citations this year of which 20 were for loud music. During the same period in 2008, officers wrote six citations with none for loud music, Protsman said. The blitz near St. Johns and Catalpa avenues is the second pinpoint policing operation in the last two months. The first occurred near the intersection of Cole Street and Allentown Road, a neighborhood police feared was teetering on going sour. Businesses owners praised police for chasing away the "riffraff" who were hanging out nearby making some people afraid to patronize the businesses. The flood of officers seems to put people on their best behavior while making residents feel safe especially when an officer is in sight. Martin saw more people sitting on their porches enjoying the summer when he was walking, he said. Police also utilize undercover officers to be on the watch when cops in uniform are not around. "That way the criminal element will not know when we're around and when we're not," Martin said. The results have been so promising police are planning to choose a third location, Martin said. Martin knows the operations haven't eliminated crime but they have made people feel safer, he said. "I'm not going to be naïve enough to say we have everything cleaned up but we have made a lot of progress," he said. Just because police have deemed the first two missions successful, does not mean they will forget about those locations. Police still return unannounced in waves to Cole and Allentown to catch people off guard and send a reminder message, Martin said. "We're still back doing maintenance," he said. The catch, and a potential downside to pinpoint policing, is pushing the problem into another neighborhood. Something police know can happen, Martin said. To try to stop that, police carefully watch service calls to see if any new hot spots are popping up, he said. "That's why our hope is to continue as the criminal element moves to try to keep pressure on them so they're not feeling comfortable staying in Lima," he said. Pinpoint policing starts with officers targeting an area with a lot of complaints. Officers then pass out surveys asking residents to identify the biggest problems and what they want changed. While police have a new method they believe will continue to work, Martin stressed they still need citizens to report crime and be on the lookout since a handful of officers can't see everything. "We have to have that community involvement," he said. You can comment on this story at www.limaohio.com. # Appendix C Article Published in July 18, 2009 Edition of "The Lima News" Publication:Freedom - Lima;Date:Jul 18, 2009;Section:News;Page Number:A1 ## PINPOINT POLICING Police survey third target area By GREG SOWINSKI gsowinski@limanews.com 419-993-2090 LIMA — Officer John Dunham Jr. got an earful Thursday as he went door to door asking people on West Elm Street near Metcalf Street to list their neighborhood's problems and tell him how police could help. The most prevalent problem was young people hanging out on the streets. Drug sales, fighting, prostitution, guns and gangs also were mentioned. Dunham, who was armed with a pen and pad, wrote down everything he heard. Dunham and two other officers hit an area bordered by Elm Street, North Shore Drive, Metcalf Street and Collett Street, trying to find out how they can help through the department's latest initiative dubbed "Pinpoint policing." The initiative already has been successful in two other areas, first near Cole Street and Allentown Road and then near St. Johns Avenue and Catalpa. Officers start by going door to door to every house in the neighborhood asking people to answer a few questions on a survey. No names are taken, only answers. People are asked to identify the three biggest problems in the neighborhood, and then asked how police can help solve those issues. They also are asked if there are any houses or people who are the source of the problems. "We're just trying to get an idea of what the neighborhood wants or doesn't want. What their concerns, what their problems are," Dunham said. Many of the residents invited Dunham into their homes and freely shared information in a candid way. One of those was business owner Frank Fisher of Divine Hair. Fisher said there was too much loitering. "It's generally people who don't live around here," he said, which Dunham would hear several others say. Fisher said no one has given him problems but he's heard some people have had problems. Several people expressed fear going outside with people hanging out on the streets, some of whom are selling drugs. The best solution people came up with was to increase patrols, which fits in with the pinpoint policing philosophy. Once the surveys are done police will analyze the results, then flood the area with officers on foot, in cars and on bikes. Officers also will be undercover. The area near Elm and Metcalf was chosen based on the number of calls and complaints police receive in the area, said Lt. Chip Protsman. Pinpoint policing has been done on second shift between 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. to reach the most residents and to attack the problem at its peak time, he said. Success often is measured by a reduced call load and the fact people venture outside more because they feel safe. What can't be measured by numbers is the relationship police are forging with citizens through the face to face contact which is followed by a direct response from more officers. Cries for help are answered and citizens learn a name through the personalized encounter that tears away at the 'us and them' mentality. You can comment on this story at www.limaohio.com. ![img-2.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/10-31/img-2.jpeg) DAVID BOND - The Lima News Lima Police Officer John Dunham goes door to door Thursday afternoon surveying residents on Elm Street about concerns they have regarding their neighborhood for a pinpoint policing initiative.