Contact: Brooks Newkirk
Phone: 336-373-3769
         

City Launches Security Pilot Project at Downtown Parking Decks

GREENSBORO, NC (February 19, 2010) – In an effort to increase a sense of security for users of two popular downtown parking decks and decrease the number of false 9-1-1 call responses from police, the City of Greensboro has launched a new security pilot project.
 
The project puts company police officers at the Greene Street and Davie Street parking decks and a mobile officer who will patrol both decks in a vehicle. These officers, who will be working in conjunction with the Greensboro Police Department (GPD), are fully certified law enforcement officials and they have the same arrest authorities as police. They will patrol the decks during evening hours, Thursday through Saturday, to help decrease incidences of loitering, disorderly conduct and prank 9-1-1 calls that occur after regular business hours. The Greene Street and Davie Street parking decks were chosen for the pilot because they receive the most traffic during these times.

While there are usually increased incidences of loitering, poor conduct and crime wherever large groups gather, the City aims to decrease that and reduce prank 9-1-1 calls. Over a two-year period, from 2008 to 2009, GPD received more than 2,000 calls about incidents in or around the City’s four parking decks and found that a large number of them were false reports.    

“The City has already installed additional lighting, security cameras and call boxes in parking decks, but this takes our security efforts a step further,” said Michael Speedling, interim assistant city manager for public safety and human resources. “We want to give patrons of downtown parking decks a feeling of safety and security, and our increased efforts are showing that we are committed to doing just that.”

The program is anticipated to run until June and if it is successful, it will continue to the next fiscal year.

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The City works with the community to improve the quality of life for residents through inclusion, diversity, and trust. As the seventh largest employer in Greensboro, the City has a professional staff of 2,800 employees who maintain the values of honesty, integrity, stewardship, and respect. The City is governed by a council-manager form of government with a mayor and eight council members. For more information on the City, visit www.greensboro-nc.gov or call 373-CITY (2489).