City to clean-up business districts July 30, 2008
Posted by Program Coordinator in Resources.Tags: clean-up
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Redd Up Crew, meet the Hokey Patrol.
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is launching a new initiative today to clean up business districts citywide, using a “neighborhood SWAT team” of city workers to overhaul them in intensive, weeklong visits.
National Night Out July 29, 2008
Posted by besachan in Events, Resources.Tags: Add new tag, block watches, Events, neighborhood
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National Night Out (NNO) is holding its 25th annual nationwide celebration this coming Tuesday, August 5th, 2008. It is a unique crime/drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW).
From their website: ‘Last year’s National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from over 10,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. In all, over 35 million people participated in National Night Out 2007.’
The GOALS of National Night Out are to
*Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
*Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs;
*Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and
*Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
Communities celebrate NNO by leaving their porch lights on throughout the night and joining together with thieir Neighbors and Blocks to ‘celebrate’ many different activities, including block parties, cookouts, picnics, and other neighborhoods events.
Some local NNO celebrations include:
Hill District;
Oakland; and
Beechview
Just last friday, the Tribune-Review published an article encourgaing communities to start block watches – you can use next Tuesday’s Nationwide Celebration to generate momentum in your neighborhood.
For local information or support, contact one of National Night Out’s local PIttsburgh Community Organizer’s:
Marlene Jackson of the Dinwiddie Community Alliance at dinwiddie_comm-alliance(at)yahoo.com, or
Lt. Nelson Mitchell of the Port Authority Police at nmitchell(at)portauthority.org
Enjoy your National Night Out!
311 in the news in Allentown July 28, 2008
Posted by Program Coordinator in Resources.Tags: 311, Allentown
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Last week, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl announced that the Zone 3 station would move from the South Side to 830 Warrington Ave., in Allentown, by Jan. 1.
The mayor credited Ms. Hackel, in part, for getting her neighborhood on the short list of code-enforcement sweeps that he and his public-safety entourage have made in the past two weeks. The neighborhoods are chosen based on the number of 311 calls from residents and what safety inspectors know, said the mayor’s spokeswoman, Joanna Doven.
Read more in today’s Post-Gazette.
311 in the news July 16, 2008
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Today in the Post-Gazette…
As building inspectors made a sweep of property conditions in Central and South Oakland yesterday, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and University of Pittsburgh officials reviewed some of the successes of previous sweeps and said the program would soon expand to other neighborhoods. [...]
The city will conduct another sweep next month before the start of the fall semester and, ahead of that, sweeps in other neighborhoods. Calls to the mayor’s 311 non-emergency complaint line have implicated property owners in Allentown, Larimer and California-Kirkbride, all due for sweeps within the next two weeks, [Ravenstahl] said.
Just another example of how documenting problems is a great way to get them fixed. We all know how dilapidated buildings can be a safety risk, an eyesore, and a breeding ground for criminal activity.
Reporting, tracking, and solving non-emergency issues July 11, 2008
Posted by Program Coordinator in Resources.Tags: 311
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Today I learned from my friend Abby of the Great Lakes Urban Exchange of a site called SeeClickFix. It combines mapping with tracking non-emergency issues to create a powerful tool for recording your neighborhood’s problems and sharing them with your neighbors. Basically, you browse the map to locate your neighborhood and click on the locations where there are issues to create tags that others can browse, and it notifies your local government to the issue to work toward a resolution.
In conjunction with using 311, this tool is a great way to keep your neighbors informed of what’s going on in your area. And, as always, use 911 for immediate emergencies.
Keep your family safe in the neighborhood July 10, 2008
Posted by Program Coordinator in Resources.Tags: family, neighborhood, strategies
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Some public safety resources for families:
- National Sex Offender Registry. Find offenders living near your home. Keeping in mind that you are prohibited from using this information to harass or intimidate, it is important to be aware of your surroundings (and your family’s surroundings).
- Tips for neighborhood safety. For adults, from the National Crime Prevention Council.
- Tips for neighborhood safety. For organizations, from the Pew Center’s Solutions for America.
- Stay safe in the neighborhood. A guide for kids featuring Scruff McGruff the Crime Dog. (Scruff, McGruff, Chicago, Illinois, Six-oh-six-five-two… and help take a bite out of crime.)
Building connections July 9, 2008
Posted by besachan in Resources.Tags: hotspot, neighborhood, strategies
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Over the last 2 years, a significant number of neighborhood and place-based websites have sprung up. Many of which serve as information and communication hubs in their respective communities. By going to these sites and selecting a ‘tag’ on the far column such as’public safety’, ‘neighborhood safety’, ‘crime’, ‘police’, etc., we can see all of the posts, opinions, and conversations surrounding public safety of other groups in Pittsburgh - what are the public safety issues that our neighbors are talking about, do they have any hotspots, and even, what strategies are they using to solve them? Two such places are the blog for the 15211 zipcode and also the Pittsburgh Dish.
Some public safety tips from real cases July 7, 2008
Posted by Program Coordinator in Resources.Tags: block watches, city government, crime maps, east end, east liberty, gangs, government, hotspot, MONA, phone tree, strategies
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Last week, I dropped in on the Mellon’s Orchard Neighborhood Association (MONA) in East Liberty to get a first-hand look at what an active, organized block watch does. One strategy they employ is compiling a block map – literally, a map of their entire neighborhood with residents’ names and numbers listed on each building. This helps them to identify and track crime hotspots, and notify neighbors of incidents in their surroundings.
- Need a map showing all the buildings in your neighborhood to get started? Check the City’s website for help. Use the interactive grid to locate your neighborhood; download the lot map once you’ve found it.
Another strategy folks have employed is a phone tree. A phone tree, coordinated by a block captain, is an fast, efficient way to disseminate information throughout the neighborhood. Some folks even do an e-mail tree. Use it to spread news about a crime wave, or to alert neighbors when you’ve called 911.
- For a sample phone tree worksheet, click here. (Substitute an e-mail address for “Address” if it better suits your watch.)
Need some information concerning a particular issue you’re having? The U.S. Conference of Mayors has an excellent collection of real-life cases with information about what neighbors have done to respond to their neighborhoods’ crime. For more information, click below:
Anonymous police tips July 3, 2008
Posted by Program Coordinator in Resources.Tags: 311, 911, anonymous tips
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An issue that came up a lot at our kick-off was the ability to submit anonymous tips to the police. We’re happy to report that the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police actually allows you to fill out an anonymous tip form online if you’d like to talk to the police without naming yourself. If you’d rather print a form and mail it, you can do that too.
(Of course, if you have a situation that poses an immediate danger, you should always dial 911 – and 911 callers can remain anonymous, if they choose to.)
Non-emergency situations should dial 311 from a landline, 412-255-2621 from a cell, or use the online 311 form. I’ve personally had a great deal of success with 311 – every issue I’ve reported (from potholes to improperly secured abandoned buildings) has been addressed promptly, and they’ve even followed up with me.
The City can’t address problems in your neighborhood if it doesn’t know about them. Whichever way you choose to do it, be sure to document all your concerns.
Safe Neighborhoods in the blogs July 1, 2008
Posted by Program Coordinator in Resources.Tags: blogs
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Thanks to our friends across the Pittsburgh blogosphere for getting the word out about Safe Neighborhoods. Community involvement creates public safety, so do your civic duty by checking out your neighborhood blog!
