Crime Drops 12% As 31 New Police Officers Hit The Streets

Jul 20th, 2009

Mayor Still Not Satisfied With Crime; Wants More To Be Done!

Mayor Sam Jones and Police Chief Phillip Garrett released Monday the crime statistics for 2008 showing that the City's overall reported crime fell by 12 percent compared to 2006. The number of crimes fell from 17,016 to 15,065 -- that's the lowest number in at least two decades despite Mobile’s growing population.

“We are not where we want to be, but we are also not where we once were,” said Mobile Mayor Sam Jones. “Though the data shows crime is down in Mobile, we are still not satisfied with what we see today as it relates to the incident of crimes bring committed. The Police Department has done a good job in clearing many of crimes. However, we are working vigorously to do an even better job. That’s why we are putting these new officers on the street,” he added.

Thirty-one new police officers also took to the streets on Monday having completed 26 rigorous weeks of training, which included 14 weeks of classroom and theoretical training and another 12 weeks in the Field Training program. These new officers will be assigned as follows:

First Precinct – 10 officers
Second Precinct – 4 officers
Third Precinct – 7 officers
Fourth Precinct – 6 officers
Fifth Precinct – 4 officers

“This comes during one of the worst financial crises in the country,” Jones said. “While other cities are considering a layoff, we are actually hiring new officers to protect citizens.”

The mayor said Mobile is no different than any other metropolitan area which is experiencing a historic economic downturn, high unemployment and a high dropout rate. “It is expected that the economic hub of the region (Mobile) would have a higher percentage of crime,” Jones added.

Under the mayor’s administration, 226 police officers have been added to the department.

Jones said Mobile’s reduction in crime is evidence that the Police Department’s various crime- fighting initiatives are working. “In no way are we suggesting that there is no crime in Mobile. We know there is crime in your neighborhood and mine. The crime-fighting measures employed by the Police Department are working,” he said.

“We need more citizens to step up to the plate and join us in ridding neighborhoods of crime. When a crime is committed, nine times out of ten, someone in that neighborhood knows who did it. While we applaud the Police Department for a job well done, we are soliciting the community’s help today to make our neighborhoods and our city better.”

The addition of the new officers will likely continue and even improve a trend of crime reduction in Mobile, even as our population increases. Several of those trends include:

• Lowest victimization rate in 10 years
• Overall, crime as decreased 12% since 2006
• Compared to regional cities, Mobile had the lowest Part I crime rate per 1,000 population
• Homicides are down 32% year-to-date from 2008
• Clearance rates (crimes solved) exceed national average
• 10% increase in manpower since 2006

“We’ve been able to produce these results in lowering crime in Mobile through a great group of men and women and a growing list of crime-fighting initiatives,” said Police Chief Phillip Garrett. “With the crime prevention programs that we have put into place, we’ve been able to make a tremendous impact on crime in Mobile.”

Crime-prevention initiatives driven by the Police Department include, but are not limited to:

Project CARE - A unique collaboration between law enforcement agencies, local advocate groups, and faith-based organizations that provides elder fraud prevention, crime protection, and victim support. The program’s goal is to empower senior adults by making critical infor¬mation available through educational literature and community seminars.

Citizen’s/Youth Academies - Provides private citizens with a hands-on perspective of police work and the challenges police officers face. Topics of instruction and demonstrations include crime scene security and investigations, traffic operations, tactical unit callouts, the bomb squad, case investigation, crime prevention and more.

Community Action Groups (CAG’s) – The department has formed Community Action Groups in newly annexed areas of the city including Hillsdale, Mobile Terrace, Theodore and Toulminville. The Groups bring citizens and police together to solve problems and reduce crime within neighborhoods.

Police Explorers Program - The department has also formed Explorer Programs in the aforementioned neighborhoods. This mentoring program is designed to build character and discipline in youth through their involvement in police work. They are involved in minor police work and gain experience in team building, public speaking, leadership, conflict resolution and problem-solving.

Bulletproof Mobile – Designed to encourage citizens to report illicit gun use. The program is a collaboration between the Police Department, the Mayor’s Office and CrimeStoppers and offers a reward for the acquisition of illegal guns.

COMSTAT – The COMSTAT model was implemented by Chief Garrett in 2006 as a crime mapping, trending, and accountability system. Each week, a precinct commander stands before the Chief of Police and Executive Staff and reports on the events in his jurisdiction for the previous five-week period and presents a plan to combat crime trends which may be developing.

GREAT Program – The Gang Resistance Education and Training Program has been expanded from one to three middle schools in the Mobile area: Mae Eanes Middle School, Mobile County Training School, and Denton Middle School.

Gun Lock Program – In 2006, the Crime Prevention Unit provided keyed gun locks to area citizens in an effort to prevents guns from being accidentally discharged.

Weed and Seed Program - Designed to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in designated high-crime neighborhoods. The target areas work hand in hand with a twenty-three member steering committee. The committee is made up of local law enforcement agencies, human resource service provider and residents. The program operates on four components: Law Enforcement, Community Policing, Prevention, Intervention and Treatment and Neighborhood Restoration. Currently, the program is being implemented in Crichton-Toulminville, Hillsdale Heights, Mobile Terrace, Plateau, Theodore and public housing developments.