HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-Memo-Street Closures in Liberty SquareSubmittedinto the public
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CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA items nR2.on O.212III2
Todd B. Hannon
INTER -OFFICE MEMORANDUM City Clerk
TO
Johnny Martinez, P.E.
City Manager
FROM Man ►uel Orosa
Chiei\of Police
DATE:
April 26, 2012
FILE
SUBJECT: Street Closures in Liberty Square
REFERENCES:
ENCLOSURES:
Several months ago, Commissioner Michelle Spence -Jones and I discussed the possibility of
addressing violent crime, namely, drive -by shootings in the Liberty Square Public Housing
Complex, through the implementation of street closures. My office has researched the
effectiveness of such efforts in other jurisdictions, summarized our findings by way of this
memorandum for your perusal, and made a policy recommendation for your review and approval.
SUMMARY
According to Dr. Ronald V. Clarke, who researched the effectiveness of street closure programs in
the United States, England, and Canada, street closures can often prove successful in limiting
criminals' easy ingress and egress routes to places that would otherwise be desirable locations to
commit a crime(s). In Closing Streets and Alleys to Reduce Crime: Should You Go Down this
Road?, Dr. Clarke outlines several cases where street closures were successful in reducing crime
and/or citizens' perception of crime. It should be noted that most of the successful street closure
projects were undertaken in conjunction with a community -oriented policing initiative. The
following is an overview of some of the cases cited in Dr. Clarke's study:
1. Asylurn Hill, a neighborhood of Hartford, Connecticut: Asylum Hill, a declining inner-
city neighborhood in Hartford, Connecticut, was the site of one of the first reported street
closure projects in the United States. Asylum Hill was plagued with burglaries, robberies,
and purse snatchings. In 1976, four streets were closed, and neighborhood policing was
introduced. The project resulted in a reduction in crime that lasted approximately 3 years
and a longer -lasting perception by citizens of a reduced fear of crime and improved
community cohesion. It should also be noted that the crime increase in Asylum Hill at the
end of the initial 3 year period occurred at a lower rate in comparison with the rest of
Hartford, which experienced a more significant crime increase. Also, the crime increase in
Asylum Hill and Hartford as a whole was concomitant with a significant manpower
reduction in the city's police force.
2. Five Oaks, a neighborhood of Dayton, Ohio:- Five Oaks, was a Dayton, Ohio
neighborhood that was once a stable, middle-class neighborhood that in the Iate 1980s to
early 1990s became a working-class neighborhood with increased poverty and
neighborhood decay. Five Oaks' crime problems included drug houses, shootings,
prostitution, and speeding traffic. Within the 10-square-block area that encompassed Five
Johnny Martinez, P.E. P e 12
City Manager
Oaks, a total of 35 streets were closed. One year after the street closures, crime had
declined 25 percent, with an even larger reduction of 40 percent in violent crime. Resident
surveys also demonstrated a reduced perception of serious crime in the neighborhood.
3. Newton, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California: In 1990, the City of Los Angeles
launched a street closure project dubbed "Operation Cul-de-Sac" in its Newton
neighborhood. Newton covers approximately 1 square mile, with 5,000 residents and 500
dwellings. Half of Newton's households lived below the poverty line. Newton had one of
the highest recorded levels of serious crime in Los.Angeles, as it was plagued by drug
activity, gang activity, and drive -by shootings. Foot, bicycle, and mounted patrols were
stepped up in Newton, and iron gates and barriers were installed throughout the
neighborhood. In 1989, seven homicides were committed in Newtown. In the two years
after the street closure project was launched, only one homicide was reported in Newton.
During the first and second years of the program, aggravated assaults declined from 190 to
163 and from 163 to 138, respectively. A comparison site where no barriers were erected
saw no decreases in violent crime. In December 199I, public support for the program
faltered, the barriers were removed, and homicides and other violent crimes soon returned
to their 1989 levels. Perhaps what is most significant about "Operation Cul-de-Sac" is that
there was no evidence whatsoever of crime displacement, i.e., the murders, drive -by
shootings, and aggravated assaults did not simply "spill over" into the adjacent
neighborhoods. They simply stopped occurring.
4. BeImont, a neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina: During a 9 month period (from
1998 to 1999) prior to the initiation of a street closure project, 5 drug -related homicides and
over 100 aggravated assaults took place in the northeastern section of the Belmont
neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina. In a I2-month before -and -after comparison of
reported crime data, violent crime logged a 54% decrease (59 to 27), and arrests in Belmont
fell by 42%. As a whole, violent crime decreased by 12% in Belmont.
5. Miami Shores, Florida: In the mid-1980's, Miami Shores, Florida experienced increased
property crime, traffic, and speeding within its city limits. Although drive -by shootings
and violent crime was not among the city's problems at the time, the Miami Shores
example serves as a local example of a successful experiment in street closures. From
1988 to 1991, Miami Shores closed 67 streets, and an additional 8 streets were closed in
1992. Although the street closures resulted in small declines in property crimes and no
change in robberies and aggravated assaults, the crime reduction came at a time where
Miami and Miami -Dade County logged significant increases and a general upward trend,
respectively, in the aforementioned crime categories.
CONSIDERATIONS
While street closure projects have been successful in many locations where they have been
implemented, they have also been opposed by some residents and community groups. In order
for a street closure project to be successful, a law enforcement agency must be able to state with
a reasonable degree of certainty that the persons committing crimes within the area in question
do not reside there. The goal of street closures is to limit the access of criminals who do not
Submitted into the public
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items nR•2on O. 2 / 3
Todd B. Hannon
City Clerk
Johnny Martinez, P.E. P , e 3
City Manager
reside in the neighborhood, not to enclose or contain criminals within any given area. Some
studies have suggested that in neighborhoods where street closure projects were implemented,
decreased violent crime was accompanied by increased drug and prostitution activity, along with
traffic disruption. However, law enforcement can counter such increases by assigning personnel
and other resources to specifically tackle such issues. Not surprisingly, street closure projects
require a great deal of "buy -in" by those affected. Input from residents as to the location and
aesthetic design of the barriers is of the utmost importance. •
The cost of implementing such a program is negligible in comparison to the cost of investigating
murders and drive -by shootings and the emotional and financial toll such crimes take on
members of the Liberty Square community.
POLICY REGOMJVJENDATION
Weighing both the pros and cons of street closures and taking into consideration the seriousness
of the violent crimes in Liberty Square, it is my recommendation that we solicit input from the
residents in Liberty Square and seek their support for street closures in their neighborhood. It is
further recommended that if the residents do agree to street closures, that those closures be
aesthetically pleasing. Said closing could and should be financed through the Homeland
Defense/Neighborhood Improvement Bond fund.
MO:ara
cc: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission
Submitted into the public
record in connectiorry}witJi
items 17Ah.on 02/2//3
Todd B. Hannon
City Clerk
Johnny Martinez, P.E.
City Manager
SOURCES
P < e e• I 4
Clarke, Ronald V. (2005). Closing Streets and Alleys to Reduce Crime: Should You Go Down
This Road? Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community
Oriented Policing Services.
Fowler, Floyd J. and Thomas W. Mangione. (1982). Neighborhood Crime, Fear and Social
Control: A Second Look at the Hartford Program. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Justice, National Institute of Justice.
Lasley, James R. (1996). Using Traffic Barriers to "Design Out" Crime: A Program
Evaluation ofLAPD's Operation Cul-de-Sac. Division of Political Science and Criminal
Justice, California State University, Fullerton.
U.S. Department ofJustice, Office ofJustice Programs. (n.d.). Program Profile: Operation Cul-
de-Sac. Retrieved April 11, 2012, from the World Wide Web:
http://www.crimesolutions.gov/ProgxamDetails.aspOID=124
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