Reading Police Crime Reduction Strategy

Executive Summery

Chief William M. Heim
City of Reading Crime Plan Presentation
April 4, 2006

Reading Police Crime Reduction Plan - Overall Strategy

The strategy to reduce crime in the city of Reading centers on the following major plans of action:

1. Making crime and disorder reduction the central focus of the police department and increasing communication and accountability at every level of the department.

2. Imparting responsibility for crime and disorder abatement to teams of patrol officers, investigators, and supervisors working in specific geographical areas.

3. Empowering police officers to take action without unnecessary bureaucratic interference.

4. Identifying specific locations and persons who account for a disproportionate amount of police attention, either by repeat calls for service or by acts of crime and disorder.

5. Using problem-solving skills to eradicate, diminish, mitigate, and move problems from neighborhoods.

6. Partnering with a large number of organizations, agencies, and citizens to set priorities and increase the network of active crime-fighters.

7. Fostering better police-community relations by creating a shared vision for safety and security, providing education and training, and constantly engaging in dialogue to identify problems and challenges and possible solutions.

8. Maximizing the percentage of police officers actively engaged in street level crime and reduction activities.

9. Applying technology to make downtown Reading and neighborhoods a harder target for criminals.

10. Increasing resources by seeking non-traditional funding, such as alliances with the business community, neighborhood associations, private foundations, and other government entities.

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