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161 COUNCIL CHAMBER - September 5, 2000 Council met in regular session on this date with the following members present: Mr. Caravati, Mr, Cox, Mr. Lynch, Ms. Richards, Mr. Toscano RECOGNITIONS/AWARDS: Barracks Road Shopping Center Mr. Caravati presented the City's business recognition award to Ms. Jeanne Conner, Chief Operating Officer of Federal Realty Trust for Barracks Road Shopping Center. PUBLIC Mr. Kenneth Jackson, 712 Ridge Street, made the following comments: he is disappointed in Council; violent crime is going up; gangs are in the area; neighborhood gentrifieation is occurring; public officials are not coming into his neighborhood; gunshots are heard constantly; the quality of life is not improving; and businesses have to be attracted to Charlottesville. Mr. Cox extended an invitation to Mr. Jackson to attend the Quality Community Council meetings, where tangible solutions to such problems are discussed. REPORT: COMMUNITY POLICING Mr. J. W. Rittenhouse, Chief of Police, outlined the Community Po!icing Program. The Program is proposed to be a joint effort between the Police and the community. Five additional officers have been authorized to staff this unit, and it is tentatively proposed to be in place by October 1. The unit will operate primarily in the l0th and Page, Prospect Avenue, Orangedale, Garrett Street, and South 1st Street areas. Negotiations are occurring with owners of the Ix property for a substation at that location for this unit. The unit will pr'nnarily use bikes or will be on foot and their hours will vary. The Public Safety Focus Group of the Quality Community Council will be involved in this effort. Ms. Rochelle Small-Toney, Assistant City Manager, said that Mr. Cox had asked for some information on the Police Advisory Panel which had existed under former Police Chief John Wolford, and Ms. Small-Toney provided the charge for the Panel, but said it has not been in effect for several years. Ms. Small-Toney said that a similar effort is being discuss with the QCC Public Safety Focus Group, and their number one priority is to have this group be an advisory group, and it is therefore recommended that this group be strengthened rather than form a separate committee. Responding to a question from Mr. Caravati, Mr. Rittenhouse said that the Street Hawks Unit, which include four officers, work in teams based on calls and needs. The Community Policing Unit (CPU) will work together as a unit in teams of two and may be split into different neighborhoods. Ms. Richards said she hopes there will be time for the CPU to spend time with neighborhood residents as well as respond to problem situations. Mr. Cox said that building trust is the cornerstone in a community policing initiative. Mr. Cox said he hopes that the advisory panel to the unit might be established with regular meeting times and that priorities can be set together so there really is a partnership, Mr. Cox said he hopes the partnership will build on the agenda established by the QCC. Mr. Cox asked how progress of the community policing initiative will be gauged and how success will be benchrnarked. Mr. Cox said that the committee should help gauge its success. Mr. Toscano said the comment about benchmarking is a good point, and while there are a number of ways to do this, they are very complex and challenging, and have to be viewed in the overall context of what the City is doing. Mr. Toscano said it will not be easy to evaluate.