Feb. 17--Duluth police say much of the city's crime is solved with citizen tips and witnesses calling in to report what they see.
Police are looking to expand the scope of citizen involvement in the downtown area by creating a Citizen Patrol there. An organizational meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Fireside Room of Greysolon Plaza.
Citizen Patrols have been effective in improving neighborhoods throughout the city because residents take an active role in looking out for their neighbors and bring their problems to the attention of police. Police are hoping it can work downtown, too.
"My main goal for Tuesday is to at least get an idea if there is going to be enough interest to have one, kind of a 'yea or nay, ' " said Duluth police downtown community officer Robert Hurst, who came up with the idea as he and his partner Officer Nick Lepak looked for ways to make the downtown safer.
Lepak primarily covers Michigan Street and Superior Street downtown and Hurst covers the downtown area from First to Fourth Street. Hurst looks at the proposed downtown Citizen Patrol as an initiative to make the downtown as safe as it can be.
"I would like to see any people with businesses or vested interests in the downtown show up at the meeting and take a stab at this. I thought it would be a good challenge," Hurst said.
The Citizen Patrol would operate under Duluth police guidelines.
That means the patrol members:
--Will not pursue or attempt to stop any motor vehicle.
--Will avoid personal confrontations except in cases of extreme emergency.
--Will not follow pedestrians or vehicles unless they are engaged in suspicious activity.
--Will call 911 when it appears criminal activity is imminent.
--May issue advisory notices at locations within the patrol area that are found to be unsecured, open to trespass or in such condition as to create a health or safety hazard.
--Will carry a photo identification card issued by police and wear appropriate attire while on patrol.
Kristi Stokes, president of the Greater Downtown Council, supports the effort.
"It's just another way to get the businesses and employees further involved in working closely with their neighborhood," Stokes said. "It may not be the neighborhood that they live in, but it's the neighborhood that they work in and they can provide an additional set of eyes and ears."
Copyright 2012 - Duluth News Tribune, Minn.
