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MALL PLAN OF ACTION . ~ j;'~ ~.", ." ~o o o ,/ March 16, 1984 TO: FR'OM: Bill Craig, City Manager Chief Earl Johnson //- I SUBJECT: MALL PLAN OF ACTION - March 1984 INTRODUCTION The formulation of this plan is the combined recommendations of department staff personnel. The department is committed to focusing our enforcement efforts on that small percentage of individuals that violate State and Local ordinances. It is our intention to begin the program on April 1st; 1984. This is perhaps the earliest the program has been implemented. While the weather is always a major factor in problems associated with the Mall, we believe it is to our advantage to set the tempo for the enforcement effort early. We feel that strict enforcement effort on the part of all department personnel must be paramount if this plan of action is to succeed. OPERATIONAL DETAILS CORRESPONDENCE A letter will be directed to the Chief Judge of Hennepin County Municipal Court, defining the problem and requesting consideration from the be6ch. A followup letter will be sent after school is out, extending an open invitation for the Judges to ride-a-Iong and view the situation first-hand. This approach has met with some limited success when tried in the past. We feel that this opening of communication will be of some assistance. LIQUOR ASSOCIATED PROBLEMS A special seminar will be conducted during the month of April, for all liquor vendors in the City of Hopkins. The vendors will be encouraged to have their employees i.e., bartenders, clerks, etc. attend this important meeting. The seminar will be conducted by the Hopkins Police Department, City Prosecutor's Office, and the State Liquor Control Commission. The topics will include: Sale to Minors, Police Department Policies of Enforcement, Dram Shop Stat- ute, Civil Liability, and Proper Identification. I think it impor- tant that the liquor license holders understand their specific responsibilities as related to the license. This seminar should help clarify a number of these critical issues. . . Mall Plan Of Action Page two o An important component of this program is the surveillance of both the on and off sale liquor establishments. These efforts will range from an officer stopping in on a (walk through) to plainclothes surveillance for liquor law violations. The department will utilize vehicles from local auto dealers for special surveillance. This program ~rll include rooftop surveillance to detect underage drinking, open bottle violations, etc. I The department has requested a revision of the conspicuous display of intox,icating beverage ordinance. (see legal section). LEGAL Contact has been made with the City Prosecutor's Office requesting revisions in both the display for consumption of intoxicating bev- erage ordinance and also the addition of a trespass ordinance. (see attached revision of ordinance). o The rules of criminal procedures prohibit reserve officers from issuing moving violations. Therefore, a system has been developed whereby the Reserve Officer will sign a citizen arrest with a regu- lar officer issuing the citation. This change has been coordinated for the Office of the City Prosecutor. MOTOR VEHICLE SPOT CHECKS Both regular and reserve personnel will be used frequently to con- duct motor vehicle spot checks. Additional manpower will be re- quested from the Office of the State Patrol and also the Hennepin County Sheriff's Department. FOOT PATROL Both regular and reserve personnel will walk a beat in the downtown area whenever manpower permits. The focus will be one of high visibility, and it will serve to deter and will also identify vio- lations. Increased emphasis will be placed on establishing commu- nications and dialogue with the youngsters ,of a positive nature. with the valuable assistance of a new Hopkins Crime Fund and the financial resources that are now available, officers will be en- couraged to gather intelligence information and to develop an informant network. <=> UTILIZATION OF PERSONNEL The department has recently established a minimum manpower sched- ule. (see attached). A significant problem will be the two re- placement officers that will be hired shortly. The~e new recruits must be assigned to the FTO (field training officer program) for a period of time. This will leave the department two positions short, until they can be released on their own. Mall Plan Of Action Page three o Department investigators will have their schedule adjusted to as- sist with specialized surveillance and enforcement programs. On Friday and Saturday nights if warranted, two dog watch officers will report two hours early and two 3-11 officers will remain on the street until 0l~~ or as needed. /-- Police Reserve Officers along with the depc;u;tment Intern will be scheduled on Friday and Saturday evenings to cover our peak demand for service. The Public Service Officer position will be utilized for special details and to serve as the second person on the desk during con- centrated spot checks, saturation patrols, etc. POLICE VEHICLES It is the department's intention to make much greater use of un- marked patrol vehicles to identify and apprehend violations. It is also our intention to utilize vehicles on a loan basis for special surveillance i.e. vans, etc. RADAR o Arrangements have been made to receive on loan a special hand-held radar unit to supplement the department's radar units. Strict enforcement_of posted limits will be the rule. The department will receive on loan the specialized radar unit that has a large display, whereby passing motorists can check the speed of their vehicle on a screen attached to the police patrol unit. CURFEW VIOLATIONS The juvenile field inquiry cards will again be utilized this Spring. Officers will take enforcement action as soon as a juve- nile is detected out after the curfew. For repeat violations, parents will be charged under Ordinance 950:15. BIKE PATROL o The department will utilize on an experimental basis a bike patrol surveillance unit. BARRICADE AND SEMAPHORE OPERATION Staff personnel have indicated that the barricades have enjoyed some measure of success in reducing the traffic problem along with the accompanying noise in the Downtown area. Therefore, we will utilize the temporary barricades on Exc~lsior between 9th and 11th Avenues. Vehicles traveling on Excelsior east or westbound will be required to make right turns only at 9th and 11th Avenues. ~ 4 0' o o Mall Plan Of Action Page four Thebarricades'will not be erected prior to 9:00 p.m~ and will be removed when the volume of traffic has been sufficiently reduced. Supervisors will be afforded wide latitude in this area. Semaphores between the intersect ions of 'zh-Avenue and 12th Avenue on Excelsior, will be placed on flashing red beginning at 9:00 p.m. Cross-traffic will also receive a flashing red signal. Staff recommendations include the barricading of Park Lane. BURGER KING RESTAURANT As you are aware; the Burger King Restaurant serves as a magnet that concentrates tQe youth during the MallSeason~ The staff will be making the following recommendations to the district management of Burger King: A. Off-duty officers utilized on both Friday and Saturday evenings. B. The west parking lot to be chained off after midnight. C. Customers to be charged one dollar to drive onto the Burger King property. This dollar will be redeemaQle inside when a purchase is made. TRESPASS AND LOITERING VIOLATIONS The police 'department has wrestled for years with the problem of loitering along the Mall. The past procedure has been for the officer to warn the juveniles for loitering in a parking lot only to have them leave and cross the street to another lot and the game continues. This (game) accomplishes nothing but adds to the continuing frustration of the officer. The loiterers are aware that under the present ordinance an officer must warn the violator prior to arrest. When the officer warns the violator, he merely moves to another lot. The department has worked with the City Prosecutor to design an ordinance that would enable the officer to arrest without a prior verbal warning. A requirement of this ordinance is properly worded, well-lit signs. The department is in the process of having each business owner sign a letter requesting that the department serve as their agent in enforcing the no trespassing ordinance. Owners will then be requested to post these signs on their property. At present we are researching the feasibility of the City making the sign available to the business at their cost. , ., .' '" ' 0- -~" c o Mall Plan Of Action Page five This proposed ordinance has been submitted to counsel for their review. COURT WATCH PROGRAM The M.A.D.D. (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) has successfully implemented a program known as Court Watch. Their members monitor trials particular emphasis on the sentencing. As you know the organization has had a very dramatic impact on the judges and their sentencing patterns. The department is at present exploiing the feasibility of a Court Watch Program for Mall related violations. This would be a component of the newly formed Citizen's Crime Prevention Program. We are of the opinion that a transfer of responsibility must be shared by the courts, if our efforts are to be successful. Individuals that are directly effected by the Mall problems are perhaps in the best position to assist in assuring this accountability process in our courts. MANAGEMENT DATA SYSTEM The department has just completed a Management Data System, that will allow us to monitor all arrests and citations made in conjunction with Mall type violations. An important component of this system is the ability for management to monitor each officers enforcement efforts. This ~ill provide for a more equitable distribution of enforcement. SUMMARY Police department staff members feel that an important component of-, this plan of action must be flexibility. The program will be monitored on a continuing basis, and decisions made as to what modifications are necessary. The police department will make every effort to keep you and the council informed of our progress in this area.