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Stop Drug Abuse in Parks

Stop Drug Abuse in Parks

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As the opioid crisis continues to grow amidst the pandemic, ongoing addictions are nurtured, and drug dealers’ wallets get fatter while they sling dope within the parks and recreational borders. This usually happens right under the nose of the public eye.  Oftentimes this is the case even in broad daylight, as it is the illegal dealer’s career to be the master of behavioral disguise. Of course, if the park visitor does not even notice the drug-deals taking place, then they will not report it.

This leads to a vicious cycle, as the devoted addict is so eager to get their fix. They find a comfortable spot and end up shooting up right there while still in the park. What the park ends up with is a hoard of sold souls overdosing across its premises. Allowing this tricky situation to continue clearly does not help, but it contributes to, the opioid crisis.

It is a plausible idea to add more park surveillance. However, round-the-clock surveillance can swiftly get expensive. We must at the same time remember how surveying all the drug crimes within the park does not prevent them from happening.

Prosecutions are a whole lot more difficult to prove as well when there is no clean-cut evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. The criminal must be caught in the act in order to face genuine scrutiny. All these factors are important for Parks & Recreation Departments to think about when planning crime reduction strategies.

The solution then does not lie on focusing in on monitoring each drug abuser that visits the park, but instead on preventing the drug deals from taking place in the parks. There is tool designed to deter nuisance crimes in parks, including drug deals and abuse.

We all have a part to play. Parks and Recreation can do something about the substance abuse crisis, especially if there is a means to deter drug crimes in the parks. Before long, the bad guys will be running speedily away from the park as soon as they enter!

What is Parks Department doing to stop the drug crisis happening in your parks?

Community Policing; Stopping Nuisance Crime

Community Policing; Stopping Nuisance Crime

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Discerning how to effectively police a community is of the utmost importance. People want to feel safe in their homes. People want to feel safe enough to let their kids play outside or go for a walk as a family. An enormous contributor to feeling safe in a community is an actual visible presence of law and order. A study conducted by the Police Foundation in Newark and Houston showed the citizen interaction with police officers on a regular and informal basis plays a huge role in quenching the fear of a community. It is from this very experiment that the “broken window” theory is derived, which posits that when disorder seems apparent in a community, the apparent disorder often leads to an increase in actual crime. However, when police officers are regularly visiting a community, it portrays an air of order, security and trust.

This business of maintaining an appearance of order and security is crucial for police because people often fear crime more than they need to. If people fear crime to a disproportionately high degree, the commercial activity in neighborhoods will stagnate, residents will be isolated from each other, and the streets will be abandoned. When community activity diminishes, the vacuum is often replaced with criminal activity.

To prevent communities from falling prey to the causal chain of crime brought about by disorderly perception, police should do two key things. First, police should develop trust and relationships with their citizens. This can be done through community outreach, friendly interaction in the neighborhoods, and surveys. This not only gives the community a sense of presence, it gives the community a sense of trust. Two, police should employ crime deterrent cameras. Crime Deterrent Cameras are different from traditional surveillance cameras as they are designed to not only capture evidence, they are designed to deter crime before it occurs.  This is an effective way to build and maintain the police presence established. Crime Deterrent Cameras give the presence needed to stop nuisance crimes.

#publicworks #deterrence #security #CommunitySafety

Keeping the Community Safe

Keeping the Community Safe

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It takes a great deal of effort and intentionality to keep a community safe. Half the battle is knowing a community intimately. Only when a municipality is intimately acquainted with its community will it be able to make an organized effort to address the key issues plaguing the community. Taking action without knowledge is utter folly, a waste of energy and resources. Without being in tune with the needs of the community, all the efforts of the governing municipality to keep the community safe are likened to the futile efforts of a blindfolded goalie trying to guard his goal. Thankfully, the police department of Mount Rainier, MD has realized the need to be well acquainted with the community.

The Mount Rainier police department is constantly engaging their community through special events and neighborhood walkthroughs. Patrol officers are required to walk around the neighborhoods for at least one hour outside of their vehicles so that they can meet the citizens under their protection. Police officers also visit nursing homes, schools, and local organizations to foster a warm and intentional presence in the community. It is because of these practices that the Mount Rainier police department is effectively protecting its community. If the police were not immersed in the community, they would not know what crimes were happening, nor how to stop them.

Visibility is key to keeping a community safe. Municipalities can maximize their presence in the community by imitating the engagement policies of the Mount Rainier Police Department as well as utilizing the correct tools to stop and deter crime. Crime deterrent cameras provide the extra edge needed to complete any community’s security efforts.

 

Crime Deterrent Camera to Modify Social Activities

Crime Deterrent Camera to Modify Social Activities

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During this current National Emergency, cities are having to balance citizen’s rights with maintaining social distancing.  This is a very difficult task to bear. Whether you are a Law Enforcer, a Park’s Director, or Public Works Supervisor, this is not a duty you thought would land on your shoulders.  These are unusual times that require grace and truth. 

Most situations where people are not adhering to social distancing is within parks, beaches, trails and parking lots.  Places your city has worked so hard to give to the community.  Outdoor activities are essential for health, and yet, right now they must be within boundaries.  Playground equipment and benches are touched constantly by little hands that find their way into mouths possibly carrying the Novel Covid-19.

Thankfully, there is a tool to help you with this distasteful task.  It is a Crime Deterrent Camera that modifies social behavior.  This tool that multiplies your presence is usually used for deterring graffiti, vandalism and illegal dumping, but it is very effective at deterring any unwanted activity.

Get the help you need to deter social gatherings with grace and truth!