Title
Hatcher Road Community Safety Plan (Ordinance S-48361)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to add one new civilian position to the Police Department and increase budgeted resources for the Street Transportation Department for the remainder of the fiscal year for increased street cleanings to support the Hatcher Road Community Safety Plan (Plan). Further request to authorize the City Controller to disburse all funds related to this item.
Report
Summary
The Neighborhood Services, Police, Public Transit, Street Transportation, and Human Services Departments, along with the Law Department/City Prosecutor’s Office, are working collaboratively to improve the safety and provision of resources along Hatcher Road in west Sunnyslope. Staff has identified the following area along Hatcher Road to focus the initiative:
Focus Area
- Hatcher Road, from 7th to 19th avenues.
To address these community concerns, the departments have set out to achieve the following:
- Improve the safety of area residents, businesses, and patrons;
- Build upon the City’s relationships with area community groups and business partners to provide additional resources to the community, including residents experiencing homelessness; and
- Reduce quality of life crimes at key intersections along Hatcher Road and protect vulnerable community residents from victimization.
Strategy Areas
The City Manager's Office will coordinate the multi-department effort over a proposed two-year pilot period in three strategic areas to address community concerns.
Outreach, Education and Partnerships
To develop and foster ongoing collaboration with key stakeholders, the outreach, education and partnerships strategies will include leveraging strategic coordination activities to engage and inform the community.
- Provide presentations to community organizations and schools.
- Facilitate coordination between businesses.
- Coordinate with area partners to conduct area clean ups bi-monthly.
- Map the locations of current City activity in the focus area, including blight cases and PHX C.A.R.E.S. cases to inform action steps.
- Add the focus area to the PHX C.A.R.E.S. “hot spot” list for more weekly, proactive outreach efforts.
- Work collaboratively with local service providers to improve service delivery while minimizing negative impacts to neighborhood residents and businesses.
Prevention and Intervention
To proactively address community issues and concerns, prevention and intervention strategies will include working with the community to identify solutions and inform service approach.
- Engage and activate community groups.
- Promote Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principals with community members, groups and businesses to enhance neighborhood safety.
- Monitor bus stop cleaning activities, signage and amenities.
- Conduct proactive monthly common blight inspections, graffiti and shopping cart removals.
- Ensure outreach teams obtain additional information from clients during outreach to inform service approach.
- Identify and work with local partners to identify ways they can support the City’s efforts to provide resources for drug-related issues (e.g., New Freedom, Community Medical Services, Southwest Behavioral and Health Services, Phoenix Rescue Mission).
- Conduct CPTED audits within focus areas and ensure staff assigned to this area are properly trained in CPTED principles.
- Work with property owners on solutions for ongoing issues.
- Work with business owners to provide resource information on and within their businesses regarding where to get help.
Enforcement
To decrease crime and address quality of life concerns with limited staffing availability, modern technological solutions are necessary to support the Phoenix Police Department's field operations. The enforcement strategies will include portable solutions to work in conjunction with partnering departments on the initiative.
- Utilize portable technology solutions including temporarily installed fixed cameras.
- Provide focused Code Enforcement efforts in the focus area.
Financial Impact
The total cost for the implementation of the Plan is $167,206 for the first year, and $111,702 annually thereafter. The cost for the current fiscal year for the proposed additions will be absorbed in the current 2021-22 Budget. The full-year costs will be built into the fiscal year 2022-23 Budget. A summary of the resources for each department are outlined in Attachment A.
Location
Hatcher Road, from 7th to 19th avenues.
Council District: 3
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays, Deputy City Manager Gina Montes and the Neighborhood Services, Public Transit, Police, Street Transportation, and Human Services departments and the City Prosecutor's Office in the Law Department.