SAFE going through changes

by Nathan Dean

To stem the increased crime rates that traditionally accompany better weather in problem areas of the city, the Minneapolis Police Department is doing some seasonal restructuring that will be impacting the neighborhoods. A number of SAFE (Safety For Everyone) crime prevention officers will be shifted from their own precincts to work in problem areas. These displaced SAFE officers' duties will be absorbed by their sector's lieutenant. The SAFE civilian crime prevention specialists who work with SAFE crime prevention officers will still be available to contact and work with.

The SAFE officers are being reassigned from June 13 to Sept 4. During this transition time it remains uncertain how the role of SAFE will shift to accommodate these changes in structure. It is possible that SAFE will no longer be able to address all of the neighborhood concerns it once did, but the revised role of SAFE is still taking shape at this point and it's too early to speculate on the nature of its new duties.

The ultimate goal of these changes, according to the police department, is to integrate community policing throughout the entire police department. To further that end this fall members of the department and community will be formally trained in problem solving, attempting to clearly define each other's roles in a community policing environment.

The most important thing to remember during this time of change is that SAFE civilian crime prevention specialists are still at your service and ready to help solve problems in any way they can under this newly structured system. In the midst of these changes, the SAFE civilian crime prevention specialists have made a call for neighborhood unity, stating, "Block clubs and block club leaders are more important than they have ever been before. Neighborhood cohesiveness and communication is essential for us to make a difference. Working together, we can make a difference."