| Author
|
Post |
 
|
|
Ted Jankowski
Guest
|
Please add some more.
1. Civilian Volunteers:
a. Review of reports:
i. Review Home Invasion or break ins.
ii. Check items stolen against pawn ship reports.
iii. Look for patterns.
1. Type of items stolen
2. Times of break ins
3. Address/ map the area
b. Reports to Police Chief:
i. Follow-ups
ii. Officer action
iii. Reports progress
c. Liaison to community:
i. Can under direction of Officer Keep victim informed of progress.
ii. Report to Council or a board
iii. Make suggestions
d. Liaison to Ombudsman
2. Community group with experts from major cities that have lowered their own crime rates.
a. If it worked for New York. It can work here.
3. Petition Federal and State agencies for Funding for Police officers and jails.
4. COMPSTAT: Updated computer management program for better tracking:
a. “..police action can effect crime and public safety.”
5. Attempt to solve all crimes, not just the ones the Flint Police feel are worth solving. Murder vs Car theft, Drugs vs Home break-ins. Treat them all as priority. If we need more detectives HIRE THEM!! |
|
|
Tue Dec 27, 2005 10:43 pm |
|
|
Ted Jankowski
Guest
|
| This thing sure doesn't like outlines. |
|
|
|
Tue Dec 27, 2005 10:44 pm |
|
|
terrybankert
F L I N T O I D
|
Where have all the hot goods gone .The role of pawn shops.
The markets for stolen goods pawn shop act as incentive the burglary.
See:
http://jrc.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/41/2/156.pdf
[ Found by a google scholar search key words: policed pawn shops]
Summary: Terry Bankert 12/28/05
1. The pawning of stolen property is a significant issue.
A. Pawn brokers are omnipresent offering thieves an easy way to dispose of stolen goods, especially goods with no markings.
B. Many people who pawn have significant arrest records.
C. There are many criminals that rely on pawn shops as outlet for stolen goods.
D. If a small percentage of the goods pawned were stolen this number would be a huge percentage of stolen property reported.
2. It is difficult to intentionally disrupt the market for stolen goods.
A. Enforcement of pawn shop regulations is too perfunctory to interfere with reciepts and disposal of stolen goods.
B. W here the enforcement is effective it displaces the theives to a different stolen comondity.[i.e] Precious metals, antiques, [ aluminum siding], flea markets
C. Most stolen goods are not identifable as such.Most households do mot mark goods or record serial numbers.
D. The cost of recording each stolen item is too great for local government.
E. We must lower the cost of marking, recording serial numbers and
F. We cannot know what is stolen and what is not without greater police resources.
[cost of police tracking stolen item lists against pawn shop records.]
3. The most effective thing we can do is monitor pawn shop records.
A. Monitor suspicious pawners and goods
B. strengthen our pawn details
C. speedier transfer of pawn shop records to police computers.
D. Most police units that monitor pawn shops are underfunded and under staffed.
E. Decision makers do not recognize the value of monitoring pawn shops and the pawn shops do not cooperate.
F. Police units are usually behind on data collection.
G. We will have immediate benefits if monitoring activities were increased.
H. The pawn brokers actively obstruct police monitoring.
ACTION
Question the staffing and policy of the department that monitors pawn shops. Question the budget priorities arguing for greater funding of these police units. Advocate policy that would allow Flint Citizen volunteers to assist the police in date collection. Advocate for public reporting and police accountability.
Note. For general use in developing a data base for others to advocate public policies this outline format is a start. We should cite the primary source, I suggest we work off of internet documents when possible. We should explain how we found the source, ie google search words. |
|
|
|
Wed Dec 28, 2005 1:53 am |
|
|
Ted Jankowski
Guest
|
quote:
ACTION
Question the staffing and policy of the department that monitors pawn shops. Question the budget priorities arguing for greater funding of these police units. Advocate policy that would allow Flint Citizen volunteers to assist the police in date collection. Advocate for public reporting and police accountability.
In your dialogue, you hit on something that I believe is a false assumption.
quote:
2. It is difficult to intentionally disrupt the market for stolen goods. AND F. We cannot know what is stolen and what is not without greater police resources. [cost of police tracking stolen item lists against pawn shop records.]
Everything has to be recorded anyway. It is not that difficult to write a simple computer program that can take the information of items pawned and send it via the phone lines to a computer in the police dept. Every Pawn shop in Flint uses a computer. A simple database program can export the information such as Name: Item: Serial: Description. Once a system like that is in place it would only require about 20 minutes a day for the Pawn shop to fill out and send in the information. By creating a searchable database of items in a pawn shop it can be quickly searched for stolen items.
That article was interesting. Most regulars are criminals. Seems to me something this simple could be an excellent crime fighting tool. What gets me is much of this computer stuff isn’t difficult to program and once in place really wouldn’t require a lot of time to use. A first year programming student could write the program in a day or two. It could even be written so that it automatically checks against file in the police computer. But that would take a bit more than a first year student. (ODBC)
Now, once people start getting their stolen items back from the pawn shops. This would be great community relations PR. Even if we never got everything back. Knowing the police dept did more than just file a report and actually spent 20 minutes locating our stolen property. Let’s just say it would sure change my attitude.
BTW this is another one of my ideas I had forgotten about. |
|
|
|
Wed Dec 28, 2005 8:56 am |
|
|
Ted Jankowski
Guest
|
quote:
C. speedier transfer of pawn shop records to police computers.
When dealing with Flint. The problem isn't speed. From the owners I've talked to. They send in the information in a timely fashion. Weekly, and bi-weekly. However, when Police call them about spefic items. they are asking about stuff almost 2 years old. Or want records 2 years old. What I think we need is more active and timely response form the FLint police dept. 2 years is a long time to finally look at a case. |
|
|
|
Wed Dec 28, 2005 9:00 am |
|
|
terrybankert
F L I N T O I D
|
So far on this thread i.e. Flint Public policy issue , collection and use of pawn shop information, we have several post with 2 authors.
What do we do with this to cause change?
trb-12/28/05 |
|
|
|
Wed Dec 28, 2005 9:14 am |
|
|
rapunzel
Guest
|
Apathy by citizens is overwhelming. Low turn out at the polls. Low turn out at forums. People do not care unless it DIRECTLY affects them Today.
They would rather read about it in the journal and get a writers opinion rather than attend a council meeting or school board meeting. ie; the school board asked for public input on school closings no one came, then the school board named Central on the closing list, Alumni came out of the woodwork the meeting was packed. Alumni formed a committee "Great Schools" some basic fact information compiled by citizens. Few results as it no longer affects them today.
My point is to get people involved you have to show how this affects them today!
I believe there is an ordinance in the works regarding aluminum collection.(That also has no serial no's) Now to get ordinances enforced!
The jails are full. Cops don't even bother booking an assault case because the perp will just be let go. Now an average person would think it would be worthwhile booking this perp for putting a woman in the hospital, so it would be on his record. They just asked him to leave for 24 hours. Next week he is beating her again. No record. This is a weekly call to police. He was witnessed beating her in the front yard with a chair. The police did not witness it as they pulled up 20 minutes later with fresh hot coffee in hand.
So while you make good points on resolving theft issues. The priority calls involving violence, drugs and prostitution have to be addressed first. |
|
|
|
Wed Dec 28, 2005 8:26 pm |
|
|
Ted Jankowski
Guest
|
quote:
What do we do with this to cause change?
Well this is the question of the day? This is where I've been for months.
I just contacted Kildee's office about a week ago. I've contacted just about everyone else I can think of. I've written my opinion of all of them on my website. Find me something that will work. I'm willing to try it. It's just sad that the average Joe has to pretty harass everybody with any authority to get them to do their jobs, I'm not asking for anything more than that. We are their bosses. Yet they treat us like we are insignificant, and are an interruption to their busy day of wasting MY tax dollars. I've written everyone I can think of. I'm looking for something that will initiate change. If I thought it would work, I’d picket city hall, or the police station. I’ve contacted other Michigan representatives about going before the state legislature. Solving the crime problem doesn’t put money into their reelection campaigns. The state doesn’t make money off arresting criminals, they make money off giving tickets to soccer moms for not wearing their seat belt. If we could figure out a way to put money in the pockets of our politicians for putting criminals away. We wouldn’t have crime. Crime would become a word in the dictionary with a definition. And that would be the only way we know what it means. |
|
|
|
Wed Dec 28, 2005 11:18 pm |
|
|
rapunzel
Guest
|
| I think we need to ask the (new) council to revisit the citizens crime task force that was created. Each council member appointed a representive, many did not show up. I have seen Mr. Croom in the meeting with maybe two others. We need to check with the reps and see where they are if anything. Ask for the new council to also appoint reps. but to make sure they make choices that will attend. ask them to hold citizen reviews where average joes (like crime watches) can give input, ideas and instances that need to be addressed. Actively promote input from citizens! |
|
|
|
Thu Dec 29, 2005 12:05 am |
|
|
Ted Jankowski
Guest
|
| I did mention that in another post in the topic prior to this thread. I am curious as to what has transpired so far with that group of "Community leaders/appointees". That was done about three months ago. I wonder who is overseeing that group. |
|
|
|
Thu Dec 29, 2005 7:41 am |
|
|
Adam Ford
Guest
|
I think we need to reaportion the budget to get more and tougher officers on the streets that can go out and raid houses and that will have level 4 body armor and/or sniper support or whatever the hell they need to do it! The girl that got shot is pretty much in my neighborhood! I live more near Davison rd but still. I think this council better start spending more time figuring out how to get more officers on the streets and less time figuring out things like which garbage trucks to by. I'm sick of excuses. Any moron should be able to figure out Flint needs more police! Unpaved roads don't kill people. Criminals on the loose do. It takes police to go after criminals and do real crime prevention.
Another thing. I thing Mr. Patrick Buchanan should spend more time threatening to arrest criminals instead of law abiding citizens like me for going over the 5 minute time limit. Flint has so many problems it is impossible to cover them in five minutes. I don't know who the moron was that made up that stupid rule but it needs to change immediately. I dunno, perhaps I should pull a Rosa Parks. People didn't die not being able to sit in the back of the bus! People are dying in Flint! Who's gonna get shot and killed next in Flint? Who know maybe it'll be me campaigning in the North end. 
Adam Ford
webmaster@mysearchisover.com
http://mysearchisover.com
|
|
|
|
Fri Dec 30, 2005 10:29 pm |
|
|
Ted Jankowski
Guest
|
Adam,
The former city council had already budgeted and approved the hiring of at least EIGHT more officers. None of which have been hired to date. Now the Mayor did spend a couple grand to hire a firm to interview and test prospective officers to ensure that we get the type of officers flint needs. I haven't seen the meeting yet. I'm guessing it will be on this Sunday. I'll let you know what I think when I see it.
The impression I'm getting is that you may have wanted to talk about crime and Police officers for Flint. While I agree WHOLEHEARTEDLY that repaving streets or buying garbage trucks doesn't even come close to focusing on the most important issue in this city, CRIME!!!
Now here lies the problem with discussing it with the City Council. They don't have any authority or even influence other than budget approval when it comes to doing anything about crime. That lies completely in the Mayor's lap.
I'm guessing you didn't talk to your councilman before attempting to go over the Five Minute limit? I'll wait until I see what happened before I comment more.
BTW Rapunzel. I did call my councilman and leave a message on Thursday I'm still waiting for a response about the Citizen's Crime Task Force. It usually takes her about 3 days to return a call. I try to leave information so that she can check up on the subject before she calls be back. Well see? I will probably hear from her on Tuesday. |
|
|
|
Fri Dec 30, 2005 11:09 pm |
|
|
rapunzel
Guest
|
talked to friends and Sybil Atwood appointed by friends, say that findings should be presented soon. Now when I was present at former council committee, I stepped in to the rooms holding crime appointee meetings at two different times and did not see more that 3 people in the meeting. Are the findings from this appointee committee going to reflect the needs of the diverse sections of the community?
As I was a member of another committee to the superintendant of Flint Schools it came about that those that did not attend many of the meetings were not happy with the outcome. Being as they were not there to put in the 2 cents needed for their locale. So in their opinions the findings were scewed.
Not to mention that some of us gave up every darn SATURDay of our summer plus some days. READ if you want to screw something up form a committee!
So those that did not attend(went on vacation) raised issues and had our work for many months thrown out. Said our findings did not show results from the diversity of the whole community.PS. Daryl Buchanan was on our committee and did show up. He had great ideas for school safety Zones!
So according to hear say they(crime task force appointees) have done much research and have had others in the community do research on their behalf. My worry is that some will negate their work as they did not bother to attend. It may be that I stepped in on the only two meetings that had low attendance.
I would think that they needed to poll the community and some of our involved volunteers in the crime watches and the mini stations to see what was needed. I do not think this was done.
We will have to wait and see as I am told the findings should be presented very soon! |
|
|
|
Sat Dec 31, 2005 12:44 am |
|
|
Ted Jankowski
Guest
|
| ON that thought, I believe that was one of the questions I left on my councilmans answeering machine. Their attendance at the meetings. Hopefully i will hear form her soon. |
|
|
|
Sat Dec 31, 2005 12:54 am |
|
|
Adam Ford
Guest
|
Good Point Ted. The council could at least put public pressure on the mayor to add more officers right? The council has no authority to change the budget? Interesting. Isn't the mayor also in charge of police? I guess he agreed to let the council use police for the meetings. I'm not a big fan of task forces. If something needs to be done it should be done immediately right? I shouldn't have to sit on some task force to try and get things done I should be able to make one phone call or go to one meeting not sit on some task force week after week. Maybe if people would listen to the Flint city council meetings and take action we wouldn't need task forces and people wouldn't be getting gunned down all the time.
Adam Ford
webmaster@mysearchisover.com
http://mysearchisover.com
|
|
|
|
Sat Dec 31, 2005 7:55 pm |
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Register
Profile
FlintTalk.com Forum Index
> Political Talk
