What is the Neighborhood Ownership Model?

In 2009, the residents of Lafayette Square were fed up with excessive crime in their neighborhood.  They partnered with the Circuit Attorney’s office and Law Enforcement to devise a plan to keep their neighborhood safe.  The result of this partnership was the Neighborhood Ownership Model.  The NOM provides a way for residents to actively participate in lowering crime and addressing quality of life issues in their neighborhood.  Here are just a few examples of NOM components:

 ·         Citizens on Patrol

·         Neighborhood Impact Statements

·         Victim Support

·         Neighborhood Orders of Protection

·         Technology-based solutions including cameras, crime alert emails, and phone chains

Each neighborhood can pick and choose which components are best suited to their needs.  To date, there are 15+ neighborhoods that have implemented NOM components, including Holly Hills.  These efforts on the part of citizens make a difference, as evidenced by the fact that Lafayette Square rose from the 27^th safest neighborhood to the 9^th safest neighborhood after just a year of implementing NOM techniques. 

Holly Hills has been an active participant in the NOM for several years.  A handful of Holly Hills residents have already received training and are actively implementing the following techniques:  Citizens on Patrol,  Neighborhood Impact Statements, and Victim Support.  If you would like to become an active partner in keeping Holly Hills safe by becoming involved in NOM activities, please email the NOM Team Lead for Holly Hills, Lisa Bertke at safety@hollyhills.info.

Here is more info about each NOM component:

COURT ADVOCACY

After attending a brief training session, you will be able to submit Neighborhood Impact Statement letters to the Circuit Attorney’s office.  These letters relate to a specific crime that occurred in your neighborhood and are entered as evidence in the case.  The letters help the judge to understand the direct impact that this crime has had on our community and can make a real difference.  Judges considers these letters carefully.  The other piece of Court Advocacy is a physical presence in the courtroom.  Some neighborhoods are able to gather a large group to appear in court for cases that are particularly impactful to residents.  If the judge sees a large presence of neighborhood residents in the courtroom, especially at the sentencing phase, it can have quite an impact on his/her decision.  The Court Advocacy Component is where we as a neighborhood have been most successful.  To date, a handful of Holly Hills residents have received Court Advocacy training and have actively participated in submitting Neighborhood Impact Statements in 6 cases.  The results have been impressive.

 ·         An elderly resident was followed from their bank and robbed.   Residents submitted a Neighborhood Impact Statement and the driver of the getaway vehicle received a five year sentence. 

·         A young man that burglarized several homes in the Holly Hills and Bevo neighborhoods was apprehended and residents of both neighborhoods submitted impact statements.  The defendant was convicted and  sentenced to seven years.

·         A man who forced his way into the home of an elderly resident, knocking her down with her own walker and robbing her was apprehended.  Holly Hills residents submitted an impact statement and he was  sentenced to five years. 

·        A teenager was convicted of car-jacking a resident was apprehended.  Holly Hills residents submitted an impact statement and the defendant is currently serving a sentence in the Juvenile Detention Center. 

PENDING CASES:

 ·      A man has been accused of robbery at knifepoint of two Family Dollars stores (including the one in Holly Hills).  A Neighborhood Impact Statement has been submitted and we are currently awaiting the trial phase.

·        A man has been accused of committing murder in a domestic incident on Bowen.  A Neighborhood Impact Statement has been submitted and we are currently awaiting the trial phase.

VICTIM SUPPORT

Activities include providing support to victims of a local crime including driving victims to court, helping them file police reports, etc.  We have one Holly Hills resident that has received the Victim Support training and has been actively supporting victims of crimes in our neighborhood.

CITIZENS ON PATROL

After a brief training session and a ride-along with a police officer or a fellow COPer, you will patrol your neighborhood and report any suspicious activity or any nuisance or problem properties.  We have several residents that have attending this training and are actively keeping an eye out while out and about in the neighborhood.  Some neighbors choose to incorporate a patrol while walking their dog on a daily basis, others choose to drive the long way around and cruise through an alley on occasion.  While patrolling you are generally not expected to stumble across a crime in progress, but two Holly Hills residents that are actively patrolling uncovered crimes in recent years and phoned them into police.   More frequently, patrolling is about observing and reporting quality of life issues.  Noticing graffiti on a garage and reporting it, reporting a property that isn’t keeping up with their lawn care properly, or spotting illegal dumping and reporting it to the CSB.