The return of the beat cop
South Park Studies: Safety in the public realm
LEARN
Police departments across the US have been increasing foot beat patrols — a back to basics approach that gets officers out of patrol cars, and interacting with the communities they serve. These changes have been credited with decreasing homicides in New Haven, reducing excessive force complaints and officer-involved shootings in Dallas, and improving community relationships in many parts of Los Angeles. In San Francisco, they’ve had a remarkable impact on the number of burglaries from auto vehicles — one of the most common crimes in South Park. Learn more in this article from the SF Weekly:
The Return of the Beat Cop
SF Weekly, September 6, 2017The friendly neighborhood policeman is an archetype that’s existed for decades — just watch old episodes of Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, or TheAndy Griffith Show — but in recent years, it’s faded away. The safety of the police car may have something to do with it, and understaffing may be another reason — last year, the San Francisco Police Department stated it was short 200 officers citywide.
Aside from the occasional Tenderloin cops who spend their lunch breaks playing basketball at nearby Boeddeker Park, it’s rare to see police out and about on city streets without a car or motorbike nearby.
This past weekend, however, SFPD’s resource allocation changed. Chief Bill Scott announced that SFPD will put more beat cops on the streets — almost doubling what the city has had in recent years.
“We hear time and time again that they [the public] don’t see enough of our uniformed San Francisco police officers out on the beat,” he says. “We are making an adjustment to make that happen.”
The so-called “adjustment” isn’t out of the blue: It comes after a steep spike in property crimes, particularly thefts from vehicles. As the Examiner recently reported, car break-ins have gone up 28 percent in the past year. In the 12 months up to this past July, 17,970 car break-ins were reported citywide. A year prior, that number was 13,995.
Read the full article here.
MEET THE OFFICERS
On Wednesday, February 13, SPBID is hosting our first Coffee with a Cop of the year. Join us at Starbucks Pico and Grand to meet the officers serving South Park, including new Senior Lead Officer Sylvia Padilla. Click here for more information and to RSVP.
DTLA Strong, an independent advocacy group of DTLA residents, is working to increase the number of foot beats deployed in downtown. Visit their website to learn more and sign the petition.
ABOUT
South Park Studies is a new initiative designed to bring you news and resources on the topics we hear questions about the most — homelessness, daycare and school availability, transportation, and more. Each topic will consist of a multi-week series of article recommendations, volunteer opportunities, and more. Catch up on our first series, exploring homelessness, by clicking here. Learn more about South Park by visiting southpark.la.
