Crime rate inches down, but some feel unsafe

Despite the Memphis Police Department's initiatives such as Operation Blue CRUSH, some Memphis residents say they still do not feel entirely safe.

University of Memphis photography major and Midtown resident Amanda Carver said her car was broken into twice in the past two years - once at her house and again in the general parking lot on Central Avenue at the U of M.

"I think there should be more security on campus," she said. "There should be more police officers in Memphis, too."

More than 80 Memphians spoke at the City Council meeting on Tuesday night urging the council to loosen residency requirements so that the city can hire more police officers, but council voted against it 7 to 6.

Carver and a friend were also victimized three years ago leaving Beale Street one night. Carver said a man ran out from the shadows, snatched her friend's purse and ran.

Not all cases are like Carver's, however. Nathan Masters, another Midtown resident, said he lived in a pretty bad part of town for over a year and was never personally affected by crime. He did say, however, that he would sometimes step outside and hear gunshots from no more than a block away.

"We never really worried because there were six of us living there," Masters said. "You just have to watch out who you hang around with."

Masters also said it was a regular thing to walk down the street and be confronted by drug dealers and pan-handlers, but despite the gunshots and drugs, he said police patrolled the street regularly.

It is these types of situations that have influenced the MPD's escalating notion to clean up the city through the efforts of Operation Blue CRUSH (Crime Reduction Utilizing Statistical History).

Operation Blue CRUSH, which began in 2005 as a pilot operation, has since become what the MPD calls a department-wide philosophy. Blue CRUSH, a modernized approach to law enforcement, according to some, uses cutting edge technology like the new Real Time Crime Center, or RTCC, to determine crime statistics in order to point out trends in criminal activity and to monitor criminal activity with cameras around the city.

"Blue CRUSH is 'The' way to handle policing," explained John Harvey, RTCC system manager.

Despite the efforts of the MPD and Operation Blue CRUSH, crime is still a reality, but the MPD is steadily pushing to find new ways and technologies to help fight it.

MPD Director Larry Godwin said in a weekly Blue CRUSH meeting that the crime rate is still no where near where it should be.

"It's as though our life jackets are soaked with water and we are barely keeping our heads above water, compared to last year's numbers," Godwin said.

Godwin explained that one of the biggest problems with crime in Memphis is repeat-offenders.

"We've got folks who have been locked up hundreds of times," Godwin said. "There is just no sentencing here. We have poor laws in this state. The government is not giving us the tools we need to fight crime."

Just last week alone, there were 45 accused burglars locked up, according to Godwin, and 1,200 so far this year.

"We have a God given right to feel safe in our homes and communities," he said.

While some residents may disagree, the statistics show that Operation Blue CRUSH has, in fact, had an impact on crime in the city. According to the MPD's records, there has been a decrease of 3,485 part-one crimes in the past two years. That is a 6.05 percent decrease. Part-one crimes include violent crimes, such as murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, as well as property crimes, which include burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft.

According to Derek Myers, deputy director of the University of Memphis campus police, Operation Blue CRUSH will have the greatest impact on property crimes like burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft. Myers explained that there is not such an impact on crimes against persons because more times than not, by the time an officer arrives on the scene, the crime has already been committed.

The MPD is optimistic that these problems will change in the future with the help of the RTCC, which opened just last April. The RTCC is an advanced technological data processing station outfitted with forty-two 50-inch rear projection display screens and 20 computer work stations. This "state of the art facility," as many have referred to it, will have live video and audio feeds from all over the city. This advanced technology will allow officers to get instant feedback on locations, people and vehicles that would have taken hours or even days before.

The RTCC is also currently developing a program that will analyze arrests within each ward and precinct for the entire past year. The program will then break down all the information each day and calculate the average number of reports by type within each precinct for the past 365 days and automatically send an e-mail to each precinct commander with information about trends and hot spot crime locations determined from the processed data.

"Now that's as real time as it gets," Harvey said.

The campus police department at the U of M is currently involved in a mutual assistance agreement with the MPD, as well as Operation Blue CRUSH and will eventually be tied into the RTCC system as well.

"I have seen a significant decrease in crime in the past year, especially in car break-ins," said Myers. "There is definitely a correlation between the campus and the city around us.

Myers said that because the campus is located right in the center of the city, the trends in city and campus crimes are often similar. For instance, if there is a spike or a drop in motor vehicle thefts in the city, then the same will often be true around the campus area.

Godwin explained that the most common crimes are normally those like car break-ins because victims often leave items in their cars in plain sight, which is practically an open invitation to break in for most criminals.

"We should encourage students to help themselves from crime," Godwin said. "Don't leave things in your car, and they will not get stolen."