High Point Road Strategic Plan (Fall 2008)

Problem Statement

High Point Road is a vibrant retail, restaurant and hotel corridor that is anchored by the Greensboro Coliseum on the north, I-40 in the middle and Sedgefield area on the south. This corridor has long been a destination for shopping and family entertainment from across the state; thus resultant of its appeal and popularity, the criminal element as been attracted to this “target rich environment.”

Additionally, in recent years conditions along the corridor have attracted a diverse population relative to economic status. This has resulted in a modest recent increase in prostitution, drug activity and petty theft, especially along the corridor’s northern end.

Crime Data Comparison

Note: “Part One Offenses” include: Larcenies, Robberies, Assaults, Burglaries and Crimes of Violence

Since I-40 creates a natural break in the middle of the High Point Road retail corridor, for the purposes of comparison (i.e. square miles and number of retail establishments) in this report, the area is divided into two sections for statistical analysis:

• Area 1- High Point Road from Lee Street to I-40
• Area 2 - High Point Road I-40 to Hilltop Road

Using this breakdown, information gathered from the Greensboro Crime Analysis Section indicates the following for High Point Road:

• Area 1 - High Point Road from Lee Street to I-40
  In the past 90 days (June 24-September 24) this area has generated 509 Calls for Police Service of a wide variety of matters, resultant in 22 Part One Offenses being reported. This equates to an average of 7.3 Part One Offenses / month (3 of which were Aggravated Assaults including one on a Police Officer, 3 were robberies, 1 was a burglary and the remaining 15 were larcenies / shopliftings).
  
• Area 2 - High Point Road I-40 to Hilltop Road
  In the past 90 days this area has generated 506 Calls for Police Service of a wide variety of matters, resultant in 13 Part One Offenses being reported. This equates to an average of 4.3 Part One Offenses / month (1 of which was an Aggravated Assault, 1 was a burglary and the remaining 11 were larcenies / shopliftings.)
  
• Four Seasons Town Center Complex
  Although the Four Seasons Town Center Complex is not on High Point Road, it serves as a major draw to the area, providing an anchor to other retail establishments along the corridor. This complex provides its own security force which it supplements with off-duty Greensboro Police Officers. In the past 90 days this complex generated 291 Calls for Police Service; resultant in 139 Part One Offenses being reported, of which 120 (86%) were Shoplifting arrests. This equates to an average of 46.3 Part One Offenses / month, which while seemly to inflate the actual Part One, is a positive indication that merchants and security work well together and are highly proficient at apprehending this type of criminal activity.

By comparison during this same time period:

• Wendover / Bridford Shopping Area experienced 851 Calls for Police Service and 62 Part One Offenses for and average of 20.6 Part One Offenses / month.
  
• Friendly Shopping Center experienced 218 Calls for Police Service and 25 Part One Offenses for and average of 8.3 Part One Offenses / month.
  
• Pyramids Village Shopping Center experienced 169 Calls for Police Service and 21 Part One Offenses for and average of 7 Part One Offenses / month.
  
• Elmsley Shopping Center experienced 129 Calls for Police Service and 19 Part One Offenses for and average of 6.3 Part One Offenses / month.

This comparison illustrates that in looking at comparative sized locations in other parts of the city, the High Point Road area is not the highest retail-based Part One offense generator, but does account for a significant number of offenses. Additionally a detailed review of the data provided shows that larceny, shoplifting and motor vehicle larceny is the most common violation report in this corridor.

Attack Strategies

Short-Term Strategy (90 Days)

To address the problems stated on High Point Road the following 90-day strategies will be adopted: increased presence of marked patrol units on weekend nights, increased Vice / Narcotics undercover operations targeting prostitution, formation of a functioning monthly Merchant’s Association Meetings, utilization of all City departments under the SCORE program to target problem areas, promotion of the afterhours trespasser program, increased traffic enforcement during evening hours, and coordinated efforts for relentless follow-up on reported repeat Part One Offenses along the corridor.

Action Steps

• The Greensboro Police Reserve Corps will be tasked to provide officers to work as a designated “High Point Road” car on Friday and Saturday nights. This operation will be a priority function of the Reserve Corps for the next 90 days.
  
• Vice / Narcotics Division will be assigned to conduct several Prostitution and “Reverse-Prostitution” Operations along High Point Road over the next 90 days with a special emphasis in Area 1. 
  
• With the assistance of the Greensboro Merchant’s Association the Greensboro Police Department will coordinate the formation of monthly High Point Road Merchant Association Meetings with our Community Resource Team to foster cooperation and information exchange between merchants and the police.
  
• The Greensboro Merchant’s Association will assist with offering monthly press releases about crime statistics or significant arrests on High Point Road as well as promoting positive stories about the area.
  
• The Greensboro Police Department will utilize the City’s SCORE Program to incorporate the assistance from other City Departments to address quality of life issues along the corridor. The High Point Road area has already been designated SCORE location for the months of September/October. 
  
• The Southern Patrol Division will assign an officer to contact every business along High Point Road to gather contact information and will provide information on our “After hours Trespassing Program” and obtain Letters of Intent from the business owners to allow police officers to charge trespassers after businesses close.
  
• Western and Southern Patrol Divisions will utilize “Overlap Squads” to work to address quality of life issues along the High Point Road corridor. These squads will be used to provide high visibility patrol, work with merchants on problem locations and assist Vice / Narcotics Division with the arrest and processing of violators during prostitution suppression operations.
  
• The Special Operations Division’s Traffic Safety Unit will provide increased Traffic Enforcement operations along the corridor during peak times to reduce safety violations and enhance police presence in the area.
  
• The Crime Analysis Section will continue to provide Southern and Western Patrol Divisions will updated crime data to gauge the effectiveness of on-going operations during the upcoming 90 days and will provide a report on the overall success of reducing Police Calls for Service and Part One offenses following this short term project.
  
• The Criminal Investigations Division will work closely with the Patrol Divisions to ensure the swift exchange of criminal intelligence concerning on-going investigations along High Point Road and provide suspect information on repeat burglaries, robberies and larcenies.
  
• The Legal Support Section will research all outstanding warrants for subjects in the Police Tracts along the High Point Road corridor, and coordinate an operation to locate and arrest all outstanding fugitives living in this area. 
  
• Appraise the above listed crime data comparison in 90 days from the project’s inception, detailed against reported activity above, and activity for the same period in 2007, to judge the success of short-term strategies implemented in this plan.

Action Steps

• Continue to maintain and monitor effective 90-day, short-term strategies as stated above that reduce crime, and address perception of safety in the area.
  
• Explore the possibility of requesting funding for enhanced digital surveillance cameras placed along High Point Road. 
  
• Present to Council a future Police Staffing Study (5th District Plan) to better address calls for service and response times in such locations across the City.
  
• Continue to offer information for monthly press releases by GMA about crime statistics or significant arrests on High Point Road.
  
• Work with outside partners to create a “Prostitution Outreach Project” in hope of decreasing repeat offenders.
  
• Continue to work with area merchants to sustain the monthly High Point Merchant’s Association meetings.
  
• Continue to identify and address the underlying causes of crime along the corridor.
  
• Work with local Hotel / Motel owners to address quality of life issues at these locations, to include a study by the City Legal Department on a Motel ordinance limiting the number of days a person may rent a room at one location.
  
• Explore new technology and tactics for improvements to monitoring criminal activity on High Point Road.
  
• Study the feasibility of the eventual placement of a Police Substation along the corridor, to further enhance the police presence along High Point Road.

By working together on the action steps outlined in this plan, we can establish a framework for addressing criminal perception, and activity along this vibrant entertainment and shopping destination. With the assistance of other City departments, local merchants, governmental leaders, and the citizens of this community, we can have a long lasting impact on the safety of the many employees, residents, and visitors who live, work, and play along the High Point Road area. 

Chief of Police Tim Bellamy
September 30, 2008

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