'Broken windows' helping Round Lake Park cops
Round Lake Park Police Chief George Filenko says going after little things such as unkempt lawns has led to a dramatic increase in arrests and a safer village in the process.
Filenko said Round Lake Park is now using the same "broken windows" philosophy former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani pushed in the 1990s.
Total arrests in Round Lake Park skyrocketed to 5,207 in 2008 from 2,773 in 2007 - an 87 percent increase.
"This is a pretty dramatic change," Filenko said Monday.
An Atlantic Monthly article in 1982 brought the broken windows crime-fighting technique to the public's attention. Under the philosophy, police take seriously any signs of public disorder.
Similar to how New York became known for its tough stance on panhandling in its effort to reduce serious crime when Giuliani led the city, Round Lake Park has pursued local ordinance violations in the past year as official try to make the town safer.
"What we said is, 'No crime is too small to address,' " Filenko said. "That went from abandoned bikes to unmown lawns."
Illustrating Filenko's point, Round Lake Park police arrests for ordinance violations soared to 1,503 in 2008, compared to 683 the previous year. Village records released Monday show tickets for moving violations jumped to 1,250 in 2008 from 726 in 2007.
Drug arrests totaled 257 in 2008, compared to 158 the previous year.
Filenko credits the broken windows theory for running some street gang members out of Round Lake Park.
With the assistance of a property owner, said the chief, gang members living on one block moved after police frequently responded to complaints about noise and other minor problems.
In addition, Filenko said police are willing to work with property owners to help them strengthen leases for rental homes. He said some owners now start renters on month-to-month leases or include language in documents warning that criminal behavior will result in eviction.
Meanwhile, preliminary numbers in state's annual crime report comparing 2008 to 2007 show a much-improved picture in Round Lake Park.
Round Lake Park's overall crime rate per 100,000 residents was 984 in 2008, compared to 2,486 the previous year.