LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - Leon County officials and the neighborhood affairs team are discussing innovative ways to address crime in the Capital City.
At the most recent public safety collective meeting, law enforcement, state attorney's, university chiefs and community affairs found a new approach to fight crime. Neighborhoods are the backbone to a strong community.
City officials found an nontraditional way to decrease the crime rate here in Tallahassee, starting with beautifying the neighborhoods in need.
The initiative is addressing neighborhood building codes, public safety, and community engagement.
Abandoned homes are causing underlying crime issues and city officials are starting with neighborhoods containing a high number of them. Property crimes occur more frequently in Tallahassee than any other type of crime, so the movement is starting with three neighborhood "hot spots."
Officials are holding interest meetings in neighborhoods so the community can interact with law enforcement and express their concerns. The goal is to make it less likely and more difficult for neighborhoods to be victimized by criminal activity.
Once the clean-up initiative is introduced, officials stress the importance of community involvement in order to sustain a crime free area. Law enforcement alone can't clean up the streets without help from the neighborhood.
Crime directly impacts the Economic Development of Tallahassee and city officials are working to eliminate property crime in all neighborhoods.
