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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-06-09 ACE MINUTES• ALLIANCE FOR COMMERCE IN ENGLEWOOD June 9, 2005 I. CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the Alliance for Commerce in Englewood (ACE) was called to order at 11 :30 A.M. in the City Council Conference Room of Englewood Civic Center, Chair Margaret McDermott presiding. Present: Absent: Staff: Guests: Cook, Lonborg, Panetta, Schalk, Vasilas, McDermott Verbeck, Alternate Member Penning, Chamber of Commerce Liaison Woodward, City Councilman Guinther (unexcused absence) Council Liaison Wolosyn (excused absence) Darren Hollingsworth, Economic Development Coordinator Tom Vandermee, Division Chief, Safety Services Department John Collins , Lieutenant, Safety Services Department Chair McDermott asked that everyone introduce themselves. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES May 12, 2005 Chair McDermott called for consideration of the Minutes of May 12, 2005. Cook moved: Schalk seconded: The Minutes of May 12, 2005 be approved as written . The motion carried. III. SAFETY SERVICES DEPARTMENT Crime Activity Report/Update Ms . Lonborg stated that she wanted to take this opportunity to extend a personal and corporate "thank you" to the Englewood Police Division of the Safety Services Department. She briefly referenced a recent unfortunate occurrence at Swedish Medical Center, and noted that Safety Services now provides uniformed personnel in the Emergency Room area of the hospital. She stated that the ER employees are most appreciative of the increased sense of security provided by the presence of the police. • Messrs. Vandermee and Collins both thanked Ms. Lonborg for her comments. H:\GROUP\BOARDS\ACE\Minutes\2005\ACE 06-09-0 5.doc 1 • • Mr. Hollingsworth stated that at a previous meeting, the issue of increased criminal activity in Englewood was raised and briefly discussed. City Councilman Woodward had stated he wanted more information, and subsequently raised the issue at the City Council level. Chief Olson was asked to provide information on criminal statistics for Englewood. Division Chief Vandermee distributed a "thumbnail sketch" of service calls for District III in Englewood (north of U.S. 285) for the same six month period in 2004 and in 2005 . He pointed out that these calls are in the business-zoned area of Englewood from U.S. 285 north to Yale A venue. The City of Englewood crime level is pretty "constant" -549 calls for service in this District in 2004; 522 calls for service in 2005. Division Chief Vandermee noted that Englewood is a first-ring suburb -bordering Denver on the south and Littleton on the north. Division Chief Vandermee stated that the night-time population of Englewood is in the neighborhood of 32,000, but day-time population swells to over 120,000 . Division ChiefVandermee discussed staffing for the Safety Services Department, including sworn officers on patrol as well as supervisory personnel, and the assignment of personnel to shifts/districts . Division Chief Vandermee also addressed the impact that budget constraints has had on the staffing of the Department -vacan- cies through attrition have not been filled , other positions may have been cut, and reassignment of duties has been done to mitigate the impact of fewer personnel. Di vision Chief Vandermee discussed situations that may trigger a rise in a specific type of crimi- nal activity -theft of gasoline, drive-offs from gasoline pumps without paying, etc -may be on the rise because of the increased price of automotive fuel. Another instance whereby criminal activity may have been influenced by economic factors was an increase in residential burglaries following an increase in the price of gold. Division Chief Vandermee reiterated that quite often a type of criminal behavior is influenced by social/economic conditions. Division ChiefVan- dermee and Lt. Collins both stated that "computer crimes" have increased a great deal -people have figured out the process to duplicate checks, forms of I.D. etc . through the use of computers . Mail theft easily yields bank account numbers, name , address and other personal information - and identity is stolen along with funds in checking/savings accounts . Lt. Collins stated that his goal is to be available to people -find out what the concerns are of the business community, for example -the police department won't know that you have a problem with vagrancy or loitering if you don't tell them. He cited a recent problem that New Balance Shoes was having with vagrants in the alley back of their store -the Department needs to know what problems the community is experiencing to be able to help -whether it is an individual business, or an "area". Mr. Verbeck referenced the distributed information from Division ChiefVandermee, and asked how this information can be made useful to ACE -what is the ratio of criminal activity to the population of Englewood; is crime in Englewood increasing. These numbers don't give that in- formation to him. He stated that his place of business, Mile High Coffee, was burglarized in January of this year, but he doesn't know what has happened to the case -there has been no fol- low-up with him. Lt. Collins stated that the Department tries to give quality customer service, and to follow-up on cases with those individuals who have been victimized. He apologized if Mr. Verbeck felt he had not received good service. Mr. Cook noted that the break-ins to the mail boxes at his business have also been investigated, but he has not received follow-up from the Po- lice Department. Lt. Collins stated that he will make note of the comments of both Mr. Verbeck and Mr. Cook and look into the matters. H:\G ROU P\BOA RDS \ACE\Mi nutes\200 5\ACE 06 -09 -05 .doc 2 - • Councilman Woodward stated that he thought Mr. Cook's complaints regarding mail box thefts did result in increased patrols in that area. Mr. Cook stated that they (the affected businesses) took the steps of moving the mail boxes inside the building, adding additional exterior lighting, and security cameras . • Division ChiefVandermee responded to Mr. Verbeck's comments regarding the crime statistics. He reiterated that this is a "snapshot" of the activities for a six month period for the last two years . Division Chief Vandermee stated that there is not a set formula or ratio of officers to population, and again cited the full-time Englewood population of approximately 32,000, versus the day-time population of 120,000. Division ChiefVandermee stated that there are three patrol divisions in the Department -typically, they try to staff the division covering the hours from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m . with the most personnel because these are the hours of the most activity in town . The Department tries to have at least four patrol officers plus supervisory personnel on duty - but there may be as many as 14 officers plus supervisory personnel on duty. Division Chief Vandermee discussed the "prioritization" of calls - a call pertaining to property damage does not receive the priority that an accident would receive; an accident with injury would receive higher priority than a "fender-bender", and an assault in progress would receive high priority. Ms. Lonborg asked if the crimes listed by Division Chief Vandermee could be classified as "vio- lent" versus "non-violent". He responded that the inform a tion can be broken out to those classi- fications . Ms . Lonborg stated that she felt that ACE wanted to know if the violent activity was increasing or decreasing ; some members felt that it was increasing. Division Chief Vandermee stated that percentage-wise, criminal activity isn't increasing significantly, but pointed out that numbers alone don't provide a good overall-picture of a situation -there must be verbalization to give the full impact of any figures cited. Division ChiefVandermee commented that last year, the Department conducted 10 "homicide/death" investigations, but only four of those investiga- tions was ruled a "homicide". Discussion ensued. Councilman Woodward commented that as a first-ring suburb, Englewood 's criminal activity may be more closely related to what happens in Denver rather than to what oc- curs in an outer-ring suburb farther remo v ed from the core city. Mr. Cook commented that the City has recently spent a lot of money upgrading computer capa- bilities and adding new computer programs. Does the Police Department have computer linkage with other jurisdictions and departments. Division ChiefVandermee stated that the EPD does have linkage capability, and does participate in a number of criminal investigations; he cited the recent murder of Officer Donnie Young of the Denver Police Department -all jurisdictions par- ticipated in that case . Ms . Lonborg asked how the Department gauged the quality of customer service, and how does the Department track the reports. Division Chief Vandermee stated that the Department knows what the average run and response times are ; deviations from the average or complaints regard- ing slow response are tracked from that. He stated that none of the statistical data is secret and the Department will provide as much information as is wanted . Mr. Panetta commented that while two members of the ACE Board have cited poor communica- tion follow-up for their burglary and mail theft complaints, he could state that a bank robbery H:\G ROU P\BO ARDS \ACE\Minutes\200 5\ACE 06-09-05.doc 3 - • • receives very high priority from the EPD -the bank got a very quick response, and he com- mended the officers for a job very well done . Ms . McDermott stated that a year or so ago she was involved in a non-injury auto accident; it was a busy day for the EPD, and the dispatcher kept in touch with her and finally sent a Sheridan officer to cover the accident scene because they didn't want to keep her waiting any longer. She stated that she appreciated the fact that the dispatcher stayed in touch with her, told her that the EPD was extremely busy, and finally got an officer from another jurisdiction to handle the situa- tion. Lt. Collins stated that he would like to see more interaction between police officers and the busi- ness community; ideally, there would be time for officers to walk into a business just to visit with the owner/employees and see how things are going -this is good for the businesspeople to feel they are being watched over, and also good for any criminal element to see that the officers are actively patrolling the area . Division ChiefVandermee again addressed the effect economics has had on the Department. When the Cinderella City mall was open and operating at its best, 10 officers and one supervisor were hired and stationed in the mall. When the economy slowed, the businesses in the mall be- gan closing, and then the mall ultimately closed, those officers were moved back to the main sta- tion; positions were lost, and budget constraints took its toll on all functions of the City, includ- ing the Police Department. Division ChiefVandermee urged people to call the EPD and let them know what they need, and also let them know what quality of service they receive . Mr. Schalk stated that he is very pleased with the relationship the Englewood Police Department has with the Gothic Theatre -the EPD has "done an incredible job" at the Gothic. He contrasted this with his experiences at the Bluebird and Ogden theatres in Denver and his contact with the DPD on issues regarding those two theatres . He stated that the EPD is aware of what the Gothic is doing , what shows are scheduled, they have gotten a quick response time if the EPD is needed, and it is just a very pleasing relationship. He stated that the EPD is interested in what is going on, and the DPD "doesn't seem to care". Ms . Lonborg asked Division Chief Vandermee and Lt. Collins "what can we, as the ACE board, do to help you?" Division ChiefVandermee replied "call us -tell us what you want and need". Members of ACE expressed their appreciation to Division Chief Vandermee and Lt. Collins for their attendance and discussion. The gentlemen excused themselves from the meeting. Brief discussion ensued regarding crime statistics and information the ACE members may be looking for. Mr. Woodward commented that a recent case revealed a teenager and two adults inv olved in a burglary ring-three people were responsible for ov er 100 "crimes". IV. BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS Mr. Hollingsworth reviewed the meeting ACE had with Mr. Brad Segal of PUMA at the last meeting. The business community, if interested, must take the lead on formation of a BID. Mr. Segal will provide assistance in formation of the BID , but does not "manage" the BID. He sug- H:IG ROU PIBOA RD SIACE\M inutes\2005\AC E 06-09-05.doc -4 • • - gested that if Englewood businessmen are interested , that a meeting be scheduled with represen- tatives of the Lakewood or East Colfax A v enue BID . Mr. Vasilas reported on two recent meetings with merchant groups and that there is interest in formation of a BID. They do want to receive more information. Everyone who attended these two meetings realized that they will be tax ed to fund the BID. Mr. Verbeck spoke against any involvement of the City in formation of a BID, and asked who will be putting the BID together. Mr. Hollingsworth suggested that if communication comes from ACE, it will "feel like the City" because ACE is a City Board. A list of core businesses needs to be de v eloped who will be willing to take the lead. Mr. Vasilas reference the map of the former EDDA area , and stated that the merchants to whom he spoke are comfortable with the south boundary of the District at U.S. 285, the west boundary at Santa Fe, and the east boundary at South Logan Stre et; however, they want the north boundary extended to Yale A venue a long South Broadw ay . Mr. Vasilas discussed the need to have a lar- ger public forum , and to schedule Mr. Se g al to address the attendees. Mr. Hollingsworth stated that ev en thou gh an election to form the BID may be a year or two away, the basic work needs to begin now to de v elop the data base , establish boundaries, etc. Mr. Schalk stated that a lot of work needs to b e done -there is no "structure" to the proposal , people don't know what the y would be spending their tax money for , and a marketing plan needs to be de veloped. Discussion ensued . Mr. Vasilas commented that one of the EDDA goals was to hav e signage directing motorists /customers to av ailable parking off of Broadway -the signage was never installed. Chair McDermott stated that the boundaries need to be established and the businesses within those boundaries identified and listed. Mr. Vasilas stated that he would like to get as many par- ticipants at the public forum as possible, and asked ifthe Chamber of Commerce conference room would be available , and capacity of the room . Ms . Penning stated that she thought the con- ference room would accommodate 35 people. Mr. V asilas then discussed the formation of a "task force" - he suggested that the task force include representati v es from the Englewood Mer- chant's Association, the Chamber o f Commerce, and ACE at a minimum . Ms. Penning volun- teered to handle the inv itations and notification of businesses of the forum rather than having the Cit y do it. V. COMMENTS AND EVENTS Ms . Penning gave a brief report on the Taste of Englewood and the silent auction , and thanked those who had participated or contributed items for the auction. She stated that the Chamber golf tournament will be Jul y 20 1h. Chair McDermott noted that goody bags will be av ailable for all players , and asked anyone who had marketing m aterials or other "stuff' promoting their business to consider contributing the information for inclusion in the good y bags . Mr. Vasilas provided an up-date on the car show. He asked that the City make sure that alleys are kept open during that weekend ; merchants want the visitors to the car show to be able to ac- cess the parking lots and businesses during the course of the show. Mr. Hollingsworth stated that H:\G RO UP\BOARDS\ACE\M inutes \2 005\AC E 06-09-05 .doc 5 ,. • • the City will be supplying the bollards , but will not be p lacing them, and alleys will not be blocked. Mr. Hollingsworth stated that "englewoodsites.com" has been launched, and is "live". There have been over 300 "hits" since the program went live. There being no further business to come before ACE, the meeting was declared adjourned. Gertrude G. Welty, Recording Secretary Action Items: • Chamber of Commerce to handle notification/invitations to BID forum. Agenda Items: H:\GROU P\BOA RDS \ACE\Minutes\2005\ACE 06-09-05 .doc 6