GRDC’s Community Security Program, a Resident-Driven Initiative to Prevent Crime
An informed, involved community is a safe, strong community, and it is GRDC’s Community Security Program’s goal to inform and involve as many residents of Grandmont Rosedale as possible in keeping Grandmont Rosedale a great place to live.One of the main concerns for any community is safety. The most effective strategy for addressing any area of concern is to involve the people who have the concern in the creation of a solution. This is the focus of GRDC’s Community Security Program. One initiative of the Community Security Program is the resident-lead Crime Prevention Task Force. Monthly Neighborhood Safety Meetings are organized and run by this volunteer Task Force which chooses the topics of the Meetings, focusing on specific issues of concern to Grandmont Rosedale residents. GRDC’s role is to help spread the word about the meetings and to facilitate ongoing relationships with local law enforcement, regularly inviting such speakers as the Neighborhood Police Officers, Precinct Lieutenants, and others representing the Detroit Police Department and the Wayne County Sherriff’s Office. One valuable piece of information learned from this collaboration is that crime prevention is best accomplished by learning about the three aspects of crime: the victim, the criminal, and the opportunity. Residents have the best chance of preventing crime by controlling the opportunities for crime to occur. Often the topic of Neighborhood Safety Meetings involves informing residents about what opportunities invite criminal behavior and how to avoid or eliminate such opportunities.The Community Security Program also sponsors and facilitates a Crime Alert System, an email alert system for the Grandmont Rosedale community. Residents are encouraged to anonymously submit information about criminal activity after the police have received a report, as a means of letting neighbors know when and when a crime took place. This alert system can help in preventing further crime. The Crime Alert System also includes tips on preventing crime, such as house burglary prevention tips, and notice of safety-related events sponsored by the Detroit Police Department. An informed community goes a long way to ensuring a safer community.Citizen patrols are yet another method of preventing crime. Organized on a neighborhood basis, the patrols are another set of eyes and ears for the police to help determine which crimes are occurring where and at what time. Such information is very valuable to the police and thus to the residents, for once a pattern of criminal behavior is determined, the police and residents can be more effective in combating and preventing crime from occurring. If you have questions about these programs, send them to safety@grandmontrosedale.com.Another ongoing project that the GRDC Community Security Program has spearheaded with the support of Grandmont Rosedale residents is the Special Assessment District or S.A.D. initiative to provide 24 hour police and security patrols and snow removal for all residential sidewalks and streets for all five neighborhoods in Grandmont Rosedale through an annual tax assessment. After numerous community meetings where residents were encouraged to ask questions and voice their concerns, GRDC determined that there was enough support to pursue the S.A.D. The next step in this process is to acquire petition signatures from a majority of property owners in Grandmont Rosedale. As news of this initiative spreads, GRDC’s Community Security Program is currently acquiring these signatures. Town Hall Meetings are being held to continue to answer questions about the S.A.D. You can read more about the S.A.D. here: http://static1.squarespace.com/static/657a15faf9cdec663c482d43/65fb2c9a2f1da75dbd7e2524/65fb2d6f2f1da75dbd7e580a/1710959983912/a?format=original>. You can also submit your own questions if you are unable to attend a Town Hall Meeting. You can also check out the flyer for the January Town Hall Meetings for the S.A.D. here. http://mygrandmontrosedale.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/SAD-Town-Hall_January.jpg