News: Durham needs more partners in its hard struggle against crime (The Herald Sun, 18 October 2004)

 

It is important that we are open and honest about crime, how it affects our city and how we must work together to fight crime in our communities. We realize that Durham, like the majority of other large cities throughout the state and nation, has problems with violent crime and gangs, and we have been focusing on these issues for the past several years.

We are not where we want to be yet, but we believe we are heading in the right direction. Durham's violent crime rate per 100,000 residents dropped 36 percent during the five years from 1998 to 2003. The property crime rate decreased 33 percent during the same time period, according to the latest crime statistics from the State Bureau of Investigation. Last week the Police Department presented to City Council a six-month crime report, which showed a 7 percent decrease in violent crime and a 10 percent decrease in property crime during the first six months of 2004 compared to the same period in 2003.

Of course we would love to have enough money to pay for more uniformed officers, but that alone won't solve the problem. We do believe that officers can have a deterrent effect, particularly in high crime neighborhoods. That is why the Police Department has used high-visibility patrols for the past two years in targeted communities in an effort to reduce violent crime.

Adding more officers certainly helps in the fight against crime, but that is only part of the solution. We must also deal with the root causes of crime. There is no easy solution to the crime problem because the causes of crime are varied and complex.

The most effective -- and cost-effective -- way to prevent crime is to intervene early to help those at risk of becoming offenders. We, as a community, must target factors such as domestic violence, poor parenting, substance abuse, unemployment and poverty, which place people at high risk of becoming offenders, victims, or both. These factors are particularly critical when we look at the growing problems of juvenile crime and gang membership in our community.

There is no one definitive answer to what causes an offender to commit a crime, but research shows that there are links between crime and poverty, unemployment, school dropout rates, substance abuse, domestic violence, teenage pregnancy, dysfunctional parenting and many other social issues. Studies have also shown that these social issues are major risk factors for juvenile gang membership.

We urge members of our community and business leaders to work as partners with us to address these issues. Help fund more substance abuse treatment facilities for drug addicts and alcohol abusers. Provide mentoring and after-school recreation programs for our children so they have healthy alternatives to joining a gang. Help us lobby our state representatives for more funds for Durham County's severely overburdened criminal justice system. Work with us in the Project Safe Neighborhoods, STARS and CrimeStoppers programs. Volunteer with one of the many worthwhile organizations in our community. Join the Citizens Observer Patrol or your district Partners Against Crime organization.

We know that community partnerships can work. One shining example is the Duke-Durham Neighborhood partnership between Duke University and 12 neighborhoods bordering the campus. The university has helped form a teen center in the West End and bought and renovated 30 houses in Walltown. This program has made a significant difference in these communities. It would be wonderful to see a similar partnership between downtown business leaders and the neighborhoods surrounding downtown.

We all share a common goal -- we all want a safer community for everyone. Let's work together to make that a reality.

Patrick Baker is Durham's interim city manager. Steve Chalmers is chief of the Durham Police Department.

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