The men's homeless shelter is (possibly) moving. University Square is (probably) being torn down and rebuilt. Halloween is (already) getting smaller.
I asked incoming police chief Chis Blue on Monday if all the changes downtown are coincidence or reflect a greater concern about safety, perhaps since Eve Carson was killed.
Both he and Town Manager Roger Stancil said no, there's no grand design. But both said growth, especially downtown, requires Chapel Hill to think differently about how it protects people. The town is expected to add 30,000 people by 2035.
"That growth requires us to think differently about community safety," Blue said.
"It's a different world then when this was the village of Chapel Hill and we were separate," Stancil added. "Regional rail will break those barriers even more."
I hadn't thought about that, but it makes sense. Highways give criminals easy access and a quick getaway. I suppose regional rail is really just another form of highway.
In today's Chapel Hill News, Blue talks about the department's strategic plan, the months long process the police are using the determine the future of how they keep us safe. Already, he says, they know the public wants officers to be more visible. "They really want to see officers," he said.
I asked how many of the town's 121 sworn officers officers are on a shift now. You may be surprised as I was to learn there are only a dozen on patrol at any one time, not including the downtown and specialized squads. Blue says they're going to look at whether it to move officers from less-visible specialized jobs to positions that put more of them on the street.
Read our story today and tell us what you think about safety in Chapel Hill in a comment below or at editor@nando.com
Comments
Crime Data
Wed, 11/17/2010 - 16:28 — chapelhillianYasminah,
spotcrime.com allows you to see recent crime and to get notifications of crime around you a day after it is reported.
nccrime.us allows you to see historical crime (2003-2009) for your neighborhood and also to search from past crimes on your street, etc.
The town doesn't map crime or provide tools which show hotspots. If they did, then the public would look to hold the politicians accountable. Kind of like the beef industry not testing for mad cow. Lack of positive tests = Lack of indication of a problem.
common crime is my concern
Wed, 11/17/2010 - 16:13 — YasminahMy house was broken into a year ago. Other homes where I live (very nice stable community) have also been broken into. This kind of common crime did not happen where I live in Chapel Hill until recently. Of course, it happened but in isolated neighborhoods. Now it is more widepsread. This is what worries me.
And more importantly
Wed, 11/17/2010 - 15:42 — elvisboy77How is moving the shelter making Downtown Safer?
If you listen to all the liberal progressive shills for moving the shelter, it is NOT a safety or crime problem thus it can be safely shoved down the throats of several gagging neighborhoods.
So, is the shelter a safety issue or not????? Well?????
Re: "The men's homeless shelter is moving"
Wed, 11/17/2010 - 14:55 — chapelhillianWhen was the SUP approved to move the men's homeless shelter? I must have missed that.