d40505CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 4 NOVEMBER 2004 NEWSLETTERCity of Phoenix, Arizona Official Municipal Web site - Council District 4 A Newsletter from Phoenix Councilman Tom Simplot - Special Edition: 2005 Crime Summit - May 2005
District 4 Crime Summit Draws Attention to Blight, Drugs, Other Issues
More than 100 people gathered for the second crime summit in District 4 on Feb. 26 at Burton Barr Library. Organized by District 4 Councilman Tom Simplot, the event brought together community activists, leaders and concerned citizens to pinpoint crime issues for residents.
"The crime summit was a wonderful opportunity for residents to support each other and share ideas," said Simplot. "Their passion for our neighborhoods will help to make life better for all people in District 4."
Councilman Simplot (right) with police officers and a resident at the Crime Summit.
Chief among their concerns were several neighborhood issues, including blight, drug production and drug abuse, property crime, random gunshots, unregulated multifamily housing and violent crime.
As part of the morning-long brainstorming session, attendees worked with expert facilitator Bob Lewis to brainstorm ideas and possible solutions for each concern. Several speakers spoke with residents about crime in the city, including Mayor Phil Gordon, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris.
Residents heard a presentation on the dangers of methamphetamine labs from Phoenix Police Sgt. Don Sherrad, who also detailed how residents can detect "meth cooking," the creation of the drug.
According to District 4 resident Ardyce Edstrom, last year's crime summit, which spurred the city's new urban camping and loud party ordinances, has proven very helpful.
"I thought the results were wonderful. I had not expected that," she said.
Edstrom, a self-described "gadabout" and president of the Nile Neighborhood Association, said some problems were particularly worrisome for her friends and neighbors. Edstrom lives in an area with many rental properties. As more and more of those property owners are opting out of the city's crime-free, multi-housing program, crime rates have increased. Edstrom acknowledged that the current real estate market has driven some property owners to leave the program, looking to fill empty apartments. So when discussing participation in the program or combating crime, she tries not to place blame.
"You have to be cordial when you're approaching apartment managers, none of this business of, 'You're causing all the problems in the neighborhood.' It's not effective, in fact it's counterproductive," she said.
Most residents in attendance agreed that crime prevention in neighborhoods depends on being observant and involved. It is also vital that residents report any suspicious behavior to police. Such behavior is easier to determine if residents know
their neighborhoods well.
Contact Phoenix Police Department's Crime Stop hotline with suspicious activity or information about a crime.
Mayor Phil Gordon speaking with residents at the Crime Summit.
Ideas and Solutions for Crime Problems in District 4
As part of the Crime Summit, facilitator Bob Lewis led residents through a process of brainstorming. Attendees identified important issues for their neighborhoods and generated target goals around these issues. Then, in smaller groups, they came up with potential solutions. Here are selections of issues and solutions provided by attendees:
ISSUE: Blighted Properties
TARGET: Clean, neater and safer neighborhoods
SOLUTIONS:
Increased education about what blighted properties are, through newsletters, surveys and meetings
Work together as a team with neighbors, police officers and Council office
Call inspectors and request proactive enforcement of blight rules
Host neighborhood clean ups individually or with Council office
Report where drug paraphernalia is found (needles, pipes, etc.)
For more information on blight:
phoenix.gov/NBHDPGMS/neigpres.html
Neighborhood Preservation Division
602-262-7844
ISSUE: Drug Selling and Use
TARGET: Identify customers
SOLUTIONS:
Record license plate numbers on vehicles that visit apparent drug houses
To identify drug houses, count and describe visitors per day (unusual activity/odd hours can be a sign of crime)
I am advocating for new legal protections that will help our city combat neighborhood crime:
Tighter Control on the Substance Used to Make Meth
Crystal meth has one common ingredient: pseudoephedrine. A drug dealer cannot cook meth without it. It is found in one of the most common cold medicines on the market: Sudafed tablets.
I'm working with my colleagues on the Phoenix City Council to support statewide legislation to restrict the sale of pseudoephedrine-inclusive drugs, specifically Sudafed tablets, to reasonable family-sized amounts. Purchases of hundreds or thousands of pills at a time would no longer be possible. Other forms of the drug, such as gel caps and liquids, will still be available over the counter. These other forms don't allow meth cookers to extract the pseudoephedrine, and are equally effective in combating colds.
As of late April, the state legislature was still considering a bill that would help our police departments, by putting pseudoephedrine behind the counters at pharmacies and by logging the purchase of such drugs. If the legislature does not act, we are prepared to enact our own regulations to curb the purchase of these tablets. We also are prepared to enlist the help of all other cities and towns to make such laws Valleywide.
We need uniform laws to address all of Arizona. Other states, including Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky and South Dakota have all passed similar legislation. According to Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, a single meth lab can cost our community up to $300,000. The cost of these labs does not justify protecting an outdated over-the-counter drug.
Target Corp. just took a major step, announcing that the company will pull many cold and allergy medicines from store shelves, selling them only at their pharmacy counters instead. We need other companies to follow Target's principled corporate leadership.
Please contact your legislators and let them know that controlling pseudoephedrine will help our neighborhoods!
Arizona State Legislature
azleg.state.az.us
State House of Representatives Information
602-926-4221
State Senate Information
602-926-3559
Tougher Rental Code
Part of the solution to neighborhood crime is the community standard we hold each other to - how we maintain our homes, look out for our neighbors and share the responsibility of living together.
Unfortunately, not everyone holds to the same standards of behavior or care. This can be particularly evident in multifamily and rental housing. While most residents are invested where they live, some disregard upkeep and crime prevention. We especially need to work with out-of-state landlords to make sure they are maintaining their properties.
To that end, I am working with the multi-housing industry and the City Council to create a new, enforceable rental code aimed at the worst of the slumlords. Phoenix is the only major city in the United States without a rental code, and it is time to change that.
If you have opinions or suggestions about these issues, please contact my office. By working together we can
eliminate crime!
Join me for coffee at my monthly breakfast meetings at two locations. Guest speakers are scheduled each month to provide you with the latest information on what's going on in the district. Call my council office at 602-262-7447 to confirm your attendance at these meetings.
The next regularly scheduled meeting dates and locations are:
Golden Gate Community Center
1625 N. 39th Ave.
(second Thursday of the month at 8 a.m.)
May 12
June 9
Panino's Restaurant
5202 N. Central Ave.
(third Thursday of the month at 7:30 a.m.)
May 19
June 16
District 4 Crime Summit Draws Attention to Blight, Drugs, Other Issues
Join me for coffee at my monthly breakfast meetings at two locations. Guest speakers are scheduled each month to provide you with the latest information on what's going on in the district. Call my council office at 602-262-7447 to confirm your attendance at these meetings. 