Summary of Initial City of Tacoma Leadership Conference Proposals to increase Safety and Cleanliness

1. Build partnerships throughout City departments, County agencies, State departments and communities sharing information and solving problems.

The initial proposal identified the following stakeholders to potentially participate in this dialogue: Tacoma Public Works, Tacoma Police Department, Law Enforcement Support Agency, Tacoma Public Utilities, Tacoma Information Technology Department, Tacoma Legal Department, Tacoma Tax and License, Tacoma Human Rights and Human Services, Tacoma Fire Department, Tacoma City Manager’s Office, Tacoma City Council, Tacoma Public Utility Board, Neighborhood groups, Safe Streets, Department of Corrections, Community in Schools, Health Department, Pierce County, State of Washington, DSHS, Tacoma Public Schools, Housing providers, Liquor Control Board, Department of Transportation, Federal Government, Housing Providers, and Non-profit/ Faith-Based Organizations.

2. Change Requirements for Business Licenses

The initial proposal outlined a number of brainstormed items to consider in the City’s business license system:

• Requirements for incorporation of crime free principles and attendance of crime free housing class for Rental Licenses
• Ability for emergency license suspensions
• Process improvements for new and renewal licenses that include greater notification
• Aggressive enforcement of violations
• Strategies similar to Nuisance Abatement Program

3. Change existing jail release policies

The initial proposal identified a goal to change the existing jail policy to retain people arrested in Tacoma and to coordinate release of non-Tacoma residents to return them closer to their place of residence

4. Change the image of Tacoma by highlighting positive things

The initial proposal identified a number of opportunities to change the image and thereby influencing future crime and blight.  They included the following brainstorms:

• Community participation in the development of a message
• School competition for ad campaign
• A motto, “It’s Tacoma Time”

5. Clean up Critical Areas

The initial proposal identified the T-Street Gulch as an opportunity to case study the needs for a Critical Areas Clean-up Plan, including amending Tacoma Municipal Code section 13.11.

6. Coordinate service delivery to mobilized neighborhood block groups

The initial proposal began to identify a number of city services that could be leveraged including: street sweeping, junk vehicle removal, tree trimming, call to haul, graffiti removal, street lighting, sign maintenance, dangerous sidewalks, and infrastructure improvements.  The proposal included an idea for a community assessment checklist that would aid in identifying necessary services.

7. Code of Conduct

The initial proposal envisioned a code of conduct that employees and resident in Tacoma could utilize to guide their actions.  A few examples were identified with one below:

Respect: yourself, the law, those with ideas and customs other than your own.  Treat others as you want to be treated.

8. Neighborhood Bill of Rights

Work with community to identify individual property rights, city standards and neighborhood standards and create a system to administer within the neighborhoods.

9. Neighborhood Improvement Area (Similar to Business Improvement Area) Program to provide additional safety service and restructure neighborhood funding

The initial proposal identified the first steps on this proposal to research other applications of the concept in other cities.  If this was able to happen, the team recommended assessing the relationship to funding provided to neighborhoods.

10. Crime Tactical Research Analysis Center

This team is working to create a consolidated tactical research and analysis center that operates 24 hrs a day, every day of the year.  This would allow crime analysts from regional cities to push out actionable information that will help the City address focused targets and goals.

process, and coordination with stakeholders.

11. Incentives for Neighborhood Clean-Up

The initial proposal set a goal to identify opportunities to incentivize neighborhoods to participate in neighborhood clean-ups by working with stake holders.  This program would coordinate with the existing code enforcement process for those that do not participate/ rectify code violations.

12. City of Tacoma Resident Offender Re-entry program

The proposal recognized that this was a long-term issue that was unlikely to be accomplished within the 14-mo period.  Some of the first steps that were proposed included identifying an appropriate role for Tacoma to play in the issue and to research what other cities are doing.

13. Community Education about Blight Reduction

The initial proposal focused on educating the community about their role in blight elimination and connecting them with resources that address problems.  A couple of the brainstormed strategies included a blight curriculum in schools, coordination with faith organizations and translate materials linguistically and culturally. 

14. Benchmarking for effective Crime Reduction Strategies

The initial proposal set forth a goal to research what cities have been successful in reducing crime.  Through these cities, the team will identify which ideas worked and which failed and why.  Based on this information, the team would make recommendations on which ideas should be considered for implementation.

15. Full Community Participation

The proposal focuses on reaching out to the community with resources that can be used to help make Tacoma safe and clean. Ideas include providing links to activities and groups to help make communities better; providing consistent information about resources and programs for use in newsletters, public speaking and working with the media; ensuring that City employees know where to direct people when they ask questions about the safe and clean effort and resources that could help them; and fostering the creation of multiple ways that the community can get information about the safe and clean effort and/or get involved in the safe and clean effort.

16. Increase Solid Waste Convenience and Solutions

The initial proposal identified five potential opportunities to increase community participation in removal of illegal dumping and neighborhood debris: Call to Hall changes, free dump passes, logo bags and stickers, daily flat fee rate at the landfill and neighborhood collection site events.

17. Increase Number of Permanent Streets in Tacoma

The initial proposal brainstormed a number of opportunities to better use our infrastructure assets.  Some of these included: change street design policy to include minimum requirements for curb and gutter and allow for landscaping; change policy on maintenance of streets to eliminate wedge curbs, temporary fixes, and conflicts with utility work; and increased visibility and funding.

18. Improve knowledge of available City Resources

The initial proposal brainstormed a number of ways that the City could improve knowledge about available City resources: the City’s internet, intranet and other databases, a 311 system, better e-mail lists, and better informed employees and teams.

19. Engage Neighborhood Groups and Business Districts in Crime Reduction

This initial proposal identified a number of opportunities to evaluate the City’s partnerships including evaluating the way in with the City is supporting Neighborhood Councils and Business Districts.

20. Promote Home Ownership

Identifying areas with high rental rates and crime; researching other successful city home ownership programs, and coordinating with stakeholders were some of the initial steps of this proposal.

21. Quick Response/ One Call

This team proposed creating and promoting an easy way to interact with the City.

22. Property Maintenance and Improvement Assistance

The goal of this proposal is to reduce blight and disinvestment that contributes to crime.  Some of the programmatic elements brainstormed included: reuse of building materials through solid waste, referral of individuals to assistance through code enforcement 28.

23. Clean/ Safe Barrier Elimination

This effort will identify conflicts, laws, policies, procedures and other barriers that prevent City staff and other stakeholders from creating a clean and safe Tacoma.  An initial step brainstormed was to complete a survey to identify such barriers.

24. Target Career Criminals

This initial proposal intended to develop integrated relationships with the court, jail, and prosecutors to effectively address repeat offenders.

25. Leverage Non-traditional Staff for Crime Identification

This team envisioned effectively using the “eyes” of all City staff to identify criminal activity and to provide a mechanism for the information to be utilized effectively.

26. Infrastructure Improvement

This team proposed that the City investigate the opportunities to enhance infrastructure by utilizing impact fees.

27. Partnership with the School District

The partnership, as envisioned in this proposal, is to develop an educational program for City employees, the schools (both students and parents), and the community to help keep the city clean.

28. Youth Building and Crime Prevention Education

This initial proposal recommended targeting youth between 12 and 20 through schools and youth and family organizations to reduce crime.  An initial step identified was to perform an analysis to identify the greatest needs and opportunities.