COPNA Crime Watch Notification
The Central Oak Park Neighborhood Association is announcing publicly that there is no official relationship between the COPNA and the Central Oak Park Crime Watch organization. The Central Oak Park Neighborhood Crime Watch organization is operated as an independent organization, which is cleared, trained, and supported by the St Petersburg Police Department (SPPD) and the Crime Watch office of the SPPD.
This information, links and email are provided as a community service by COPNA for the residents of Central Oak Park and is not an endorsement or acceptance of liability for activities, collectively or individually, of the Central Oak Park Crime Watch members.
The public is hereby notified that any representation otherwise is not authorized by the COPNA BOD and the Crime Watch members are not authorized in any way to solicit or collect money on behalf of COPNA. Further, the Crime Watch is not allowed to use the name of COPNA in any way hereforth.
Emails sent to COPcrimewatch@gmail.com are forwarded as a courtesy to the Crime Watch coordinators that are authorized by the SPPD for processing as they deem fit and COPNA does not accept any responsibility for the content, processing or action thereof.
Inquiries should be made to the SPPD departments below:
Crime Prevention - Community Programs
The following is a partial listing of the programs available through the St. Petersburg Police Department. All of the programs offered are free of charge. To schedule a program for your neighborhood or organization contact the Crime Prevention Unit, 893-7128.
Request a program or more information.
Neighborhood Watch
This self-help crime prevention effort centers around neighbors and law enforcement personnel working together to increase community awareness and reduce crime.
Police and Citizens’ Stopping Crime Together
Neighborhood Crime Watch is one of the most effective and least costly ways to prevent crime and reduce fear. It bonds area residents to help reduce crime and improves relations between police and the communities they serve.
In 1981, the St. Petersburg Police Department began the Neighborhood Crime Watch program. Since that time, we have been working hard to reduce crime, but we need the help of every citizen in this effort. Citizens like yourself need to involve themselves in the fight against crime by working with the police and other residents.
Why Neighborhood Crime Watch?
Neighborhood Crime Watch encourages citizen participation in reducing crime. Residents and police work together to achieve one common goal – "Making Their Neighborhoods Safe."
Residents are taught how to protect their property and report suspicious activities to the police.
Neighborhood Crime Watch also helps build pride and serves as a springboard for efforts that address other community concerns.
What does a Neighborhood Crime Watch do?
Members meet their neighbors and learn how to make their home more secure. They watch out for each other and report suspicious activities to the police.
Neighbors mark their valuable property with an identifying number (drivers license number) to discourage theft and help police return stolen property.
Crime Watch Components
- Meetings – These should be held at least once a year with your Crime Prevention and Community Police Officers.
- Citizens’ Patrol – Crime Watch members who walk or drive through the neighborhood and alert police to crime and questionable activities. Not all neighborhood crime watches need a citizens’ patrol.
- Communications – Regular discussions between neighbors, Crime Prevention Officers and Community Police Officers.
- Special Events – Block Parties, Crime Prevention Programs and National Night Out
How to start a Neighborhood Crime Watch
Organize a small group of neighbors to discuss concerns, the level of interest, and possible neighborhood problems.
Schedule a date, place and time to hold your first crime watch meeting.
Contact the Crime Prevention Unit to start a Neighborhood Crime Watch in your neighborhood:
893-7128
District 3 Community Service Officers
Contact number - 727-551-3183
Sergeant Dale Moushon
Officer Robert Arrison
Officer Patrice Hubbard
Officer Scott King
Officer Minchol Detty
Crime Statistics
http://www.stpete.org/police/aboutus/crime-stats.html
COMMUNITY AWARENESS
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)
Mark Williams
St Petersburg Police
Crime Prevention Officer District 3
PH# 893-4935 email: mark.williams@stpete.org
www.stpete.org/police
http://www.stpete.org/police/crime-prev/cpted.html
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, or CPTED (pronounced sep-ted), is defined as the proper design and effective use of the built environment that can lead to a reduction in the fear and incidence of crime, and an improvement of the quality of life.
There are three basic and overlapping principles in the CPTED concept.
Natural Surveillance
We need to create environments where there are plenty of opportunities for people engaged in their normal behavior to observe the space around them. By designing the placement of physical features, activities and people in such a way to maximize visibility, natural surveillance occurs.
Natural Access Control
Most criminal intruders will try to find a way into an area where they will not be easily observed. Limiting access and increasing natural surveillance keeps them out altogether or marks them as an intruder. By selectively placing entrances and exits, fencing, lighting and landscape to control the flow of or limit access, natural access control occurs.
Natural Territorial Reinforcement
An environment designed to clearly delineate private space does two things. First, it creates a sense of ownership. Owners have a vested interest and are more likely to challenge intruders or report them to the police. Second, the sense of owned space creates an environment where "strangers" or "intruders" stand out and are more easily identified. By using buildings, fences, pavement, signs, lighting and landscape to express owners and define public, semi-public and private space, natural territorial reinforcement occurs.
Why the emphasis on "Natural?"
Historically, the emphasis has been on the target hardening approach to crime prevention. Relying on mechanical (locks, security systems, alarms, monitoring equipment, etc.) and organized (security patrols, law enforcement, etc.) crime prevention strategies means to make the target harder to get into and can create a fortress effect and "feel" unsafe. This traditional approach tends to overlook the opportunity for natural access control and surveillance.
The CPTED theory advocates that all possibilities for natural crime prevention is exhausted prior to the involvement of the mechanical and organized strategies. The CPTED approach is much more user friendly and customer service oriented than the traditional target hardening approach.
CPTED involves the design of the physical space in the context of the bona fide user of the space, the normal and expected use of that space, and the predictable behavior of users and non-users. CPTED emphasizes the connection between the functional objective of space utilization and behavior management. By using the "Three D's" as a guide, space may be evaluated by asking the following types of questions:
Designation
- What is the designated purpose of this space?
- For what purpose was it originally intended?
- How well does the space support its current use or its intended use?
- Is there a conflict?
Definition
- How is space defined?
- Is it clear who owns it?
- Where are its borders?
- Are there social or cultural definitions that affect how space is used?
- Are the legal or administrative rules clearly set out and reinforced in policy?
- Are there signs?
- Is there conflict or confusion between purpose and definition?
Design
- How well does the physical design support the intended function?
- How well does the physical design support the desired or accepted behaviors?
- Does the physical design conflict with or impede the productive use of the space or the proper functioning of the intended human activity?
- Is there confusion or conflict in the manner in which physical design is intended to control behavior?
Once these questions have been asked, the information received may be used as a means of guiding decisions about the use of human space. The proper functions have to be matched with space that can support them. The design has to assure that the intended activity can function well and it has to directly support the control of behavior.
This information provided by COPNA is taken from www.stpete.org and www.stpete.org/police websites.
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