Richardson public safety officers and volunteers should be lauded

by Staff of Richardson Coalition

A salute to our Fire & Police staff/leaders and volunteers…and a note to those who would violate our laws:

In the Richardson Coalition’s recent stratified random sample telephone survey of Richardson voters, 89% indicated that fighting crime should be one of the highest priorities for the City of Richardson.

In our internet survey the following results were received:

Let the position of the Richardson Coalition be perfectly clear. We fully support the efforts of our Fire and Police Departments and the outstanding service they provide. These men and women put their lives on the line for us every day, week, month and year. For that we are truly grateful.

According to a recent FBI report, while some crime categories are up and some are down, overall crime in Richardson is down 13% over the past few years. The longer-term trend is even more positive.

Even with this positive feedback, some areas of our city have experienced increasing crime rates. While the tactics used by our police are having good results, we must continue every effort to address this early.

For example, the Operational Support Unit recently successfully “busted” a group of people who targeted food delivery persons. These arrests were made with minimal information and no witnesses.

Police and Fire Services Update:

The following are some things that the city is doing that not many citizens know about. Some of these have been discussed in recent City Council work sessions and other forums.

Fire insurance – The effectiveness of our Fire Department is one of the major factors affecting our fire rates. Richardson’s fire insurance rates are lower than those of many cities.

License plate recognition technology - The Police Department now has a vehicle with equipment that will automatically read vehicle license plates on a drive-by basis. The system automatically consults several databases to determine if a vehicle has been stolen or is illegal. RPD volunteers are operating this vehicle to minimize cost to the city.

As reported by acting Police Chief Spivy, this program has been very successful since inception on January 23, 2009:

Red light camera enforcement – The goal of this program has been to improve public safety by using technology to enhance enforcement. The goal was never to increase ticket revenue. Currently the program is approximately on a break-even footing. Significantly fewer accidents (including rear-end collisions as people hit the brakes) have occurred, with decreased injuries and property damage. We thank the current City Council for expanding this very successful program.

Crime watch patrols – Over the past few years the number of crime watch patrols has doubled. Richardson now has 180 volunteers supplementing our fine police officers. With decreasing crime rates, home values have increased according to some sources.

The BOLO (Be On Look Out) Program – Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious activities to the Police Department so that it may take action. Alert citizens can impact crime rates, not by taking action themselves, but by quickly calling 911 so the Fire/Police Departments can take quick action.

Our police and fire volunteer programs are almost without equal in the United States. While we will not go into detail about each, we have citizens who volunteer every day in programs such as:

The Richardson Coalition salutes these people who give their time and service to help make Richardson the very best that it can be.

The Bottom Line:

* Public safety is a top priority for Richardson citizens. We must do everything possible to ensure that it continues to improve.

* Over the past 18-20 years Richardson’s overall crime rate has substantially declined. Even so, we must do better to help our police continue this trend.

* We need to continue to embrace new technologies as they become available to our police and fire services.

* One way Richardson becomes the best that it can be is to press forward to be even better than we are in police and fire services. The city has excellent leaders in our City Manager, City staff and both the Fire as well as the Police Departments.

* There is one additional thing that each of us can do: Say, “Thanks for your service!”

o …when you see our public servants. It takes years of training to achieve their level of proficiency.

o …when you see your fellow citizens who volunteer to help make our city the best that it can be.

And a final note to prospective City Council candidates and to those who will ultimately serve:

1. Citizens want and demand a safe environment.

2. The Richardson Coalition encourages you to set goals for the next two years that will take on the tough issues in our city. While our crime rates are low, they could be even lower with improved funding, training and technology enhancements.

3. Be assertive and address issues in their early stages, rather than waiting until they become obvious.

4. Let’s make Richardson the place that criminals don’t want to be.