| Even though the crime rates have been | | | | handle crime more expediently. It is |
| steadily falling from the 1990's, some of the | | | | effective because it reduces the chances of |
| bigger cities across the nation have to still | | | | spending time and energy on low priority |
| contend with a growing crime rate. While the | | | | calls. Moreover, they can focus their |
| government officials are doing their best, | | | | resources to handle ongoing crimes quickly |
| crime related problems continue to persist | | | | and effectively. These strategies are all |
| due to the ever-growing population in these | | | | part of the new CODEFOR plan. |
| urban centers. So fighting crime is a battle | | | | |
| that must be waged continuously day after day | | | | CODEFOR stands for Computer Optimized |
| by law enforcement agencies against elements | | | | Deployment-Focus on Results. All sections of |
| of anarchy and social unrest. | | | | the police force are involved in this new |
| | | | crime reduction initiative and it involves |
| Minneapolis is located in Minnesota and has a | | | | four basic ideas: 1. accurate and timely |
| population hovering just under 400,000. The | | | | intelligence on crime that is occurring 2. |
| emergency services in this major American | | | | rapid deployment of personnel and resources |
| city almost never stop fielding calls and | | | | in appropriate circumstances 3. effective |
| requests for aid. On any given day, over | | | | tactics and 4. relentless follow-up and |
| 1,000 calls are received and processed for | | | | assessment. |
| emergency services from the police, fire, or | | | | |
| EMT departments. | | | | In another Minneapolis initiative, a |
| | | | voluntary program called "Watch Your Car", |
| Budget constraints and the sheer volume of | | | | the participating citizens give a declaration |
| calls make it impossible to respond | | | | to the police that their car is normally not |
| immediately to all such emergency calls. | | | | used between 1 am and 5 am and therefore give |
| Hence the local administration officials are | | | | the police permission to pull their car over |
| forced to impose a prioritization of all such | | | | if and when seen on the roads during this |
| emergency calls. Highest priority is given to | | | | period. |
| all those calls dealing with life threatening | | | | |
| situations. Subsequent priority is allotted | | | | Reflective stickers are provided to the |
| to calls based on their severity level in a | | | | participants to be pasted on the vehicles. |
| manner to ensure the best possible service | | | | The police identify the vehicles by these |
| within the given constraints. | | | | stickers and have the right to pull over the |
| | | | vehicle even if no crime has been witnessed. |
| It takes about an hour to assess the nature | | | | Thus far, the citizens are finding this |
| of the call and dispatch a cop during the | | | | radical program effective and the results of |
| busiest of times. Each incoming call is | | | | this program seem to please all sides. |
| assessed and put into low priority only if | | | | |
| (i) there is no immediate threat to life, | | | | However, it is presumptuous to consider a |
| (ii) the caller has no injuries, (iii) the | | | | crime fighting initiative will be 100% |
| caller is not a victim of ongoing criminal | | | | effective. But, the Minneapolis police |
| action, and (iv) the offender is not an | | | | department is certainly trying its best to |
| immediate threat and is not expected to | | | | make the community as safe as possible for |
| return. | | | | its citizens. It is a great incentive for |
| | | | people considering relocating to Minneapolis |
| Minneapolis devised this method of | | | | as the community is committed to fighting |
| prioritization of incoming calls in order to | | | | crime to make the city safe to live. |