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Pathway for Public Safety
The Orlando Police Department and the City’s
Code Enforcement Division have worked to reduce crime and code
violations. The public safety efforts have produced positive change
within the Parramore community over the last five years.
Crime Statistics Decrease in Parramore
- Crime statistics for 2009 compared
to 2006 are examples of the constant decrease in crime in Parramore:
- Murders are down 63%.
- Aggravated assault cases are
down 51%.
- Burglary crimes are down 41%.
- Motor vehicle theft is down 63%.
- Robbery is down 61%.
- Overall, violent crime is down
37%.
- Since Pathways for Parramore began
in June of 2005, crime rates in Parramore have steadily decreased.
Juvenile arrests are also on a constant decline in the Parramore
area. There were 645 juvenile arrests from May 2005 to May 2006,
down to 480 arrests in 2009.
Neighborhood Watch
Through the Pathways for Parramore initiative, one
Neighborhood Watch Block Captain has grown to 19 Captains.
Community Programs
To further enhance the quality of life in Parramore,
the City has initiated the following programs:
- Parramore Community Garden
adds beauty to the community, brings neighbors closer together and
reduces crime by providing a safe, recreational green space in this
previously crime ridden block. In addition, the garden brings
neighbors together to help combat high rates of obesity and
diabetes, establish inter-generational relationships, increase
safety, create a police-community partnership and to improve the
quality of life for Parramore residents.
- Parramore Yard of the Month Award
recognizes residents who demonstrate above-average efforts in
maintaining their property and contributing to the overall beauty of
the community at large.
Targeted Operations have
been used in the Parramore neighborhoods to crack down on violent crimes
and drug offenses, including most recently:
- Operation Evaporation - A
seven-week enforcement operation, that ended May 31, 2010, aimed at
combating violent acts of crime in the Parramore Heritage Community.
The operation focused on an increased police presence in Parramore
by doubling the number of officers from 25 to 50. The
operation yielded the following:
- 76 felony arrests
- 97 misdemeanor arrests
IRIS is a system of
“smart cameras” that are monitored from a central command center
24-hours-a-day at Orlando Police Department (OPD) headquarters. The
18-camera system covers the Parramore community allowing officers to
intervene in crimes as, or even before, they are happening.
- IRIS cameras aided in the recovery
of an occupied stolen vehicle and the disruption several open air
drug sale operations and diffused potentially-volatile altercations
amongst individuals.
- Because of the success with existing
IRIS cameras in Parramore, Orlando Police Department plans to add
10 additional cameras to Parramore by September 2011.
The Parramore Heritage Bike Unit (PHBU) was
reintroduced to the area in September 2007. The eight-officer PHBU is
instrumental in forging enhanced community relationships and bringing a
sense of no-nonsense policing to the area. They also meet with business
and homeowners to discuss methods to reduce crime, improve property
values and reduce the negative perceptions of their community.
The Joint Anti-Crime Unit (JAC) began in
Parramore in October 2007 as an OPD targeted operation, “Operation
Delta,” a multiphase operation aimed at combating street level drug
sales in the north Parramore area, reducing the associated violent
crimes and increasing the quality of life for all residents. Realizing
the importance of maintaining crime and having a police presence in
Parramore, JAC is now a permanent, specialized unit in Parramore.
Code Enforcement Initiatives
Since June 2005, the Code Enforcement Division has
handled more than 3,200 cases and demolished 52 dilapidated
houses. The City initiated foreclosures on properties, resulting in
construction of new affordable housing projects at Westmoreland Street
and Concord Street, Polk Street, Randall Street and the creation of the
Community Garden.
For More Information
City of Orlando Community Policing Division
(407) 246-2461 http://www.cityoforlando.net/police/.
City of Orlando Code Enforcement Division
(407) 246-2686
http://www.cityoforlando.net/economic/CODEENFORCEMENT/index.htm.
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