We’ve got a write-up by Ann Wortham from the Sector 111 Workshop from last Saturday.

Policing for Prevention

Last Saturday, 7/29, was the Richmond Police Department’s ‘Collaborative Problem Solving Workshop’ for Sector 111. The workshop was Lt. Mike Snawder’s last big job for us before turning over the sector to Lt. Jack King.

Attendees included those of us who live there – including Mayor Doug Wilder and Chief of Police Rodney Monroe and his wife Marvette; many of our first precinct officers – from captain to patrol; representatives from the Commonwealth Attorney’s office and several other service areas such as Health and Public Works; and progam facilitators from Washington, DC.

Participant attendees were broken into smaller, sometimes overlapping, ‘Area’ groups based on where we live and work:

• Upper Shockoe Valley, Shockoe Bottom, Union Hill, Church Hill
• Shockoe Bottom, Church Hill, Chimborazo
• Church Hill North
• Oakwood, Oakwood Cemetery, Creighton
• Fulton North
• Fulton West, East, South

Each of these smaller groups was given a ‘Crime Scenario’ based on an actual current problem in the area to which it was assigned…and then the work began. We were tasked with, and guided through, devising a ‘Problem Solving Action Plan’ to identify and analyze the problem and to then outline the changes we want…and the actions we’re going to take to get there.

Each of us will be engaged beyond the Saturday we spent at a table. During the next three months we will act – as area groups – to address the issues we identified. Members of each of the six groups will visit the area impacted by the crime scenario we were given at the workshop. Each group will meet to discuss what we see during the ‘walk through’ - and how what we see relates to what we decided we want to do about the problem. We’ll take action and meet again to review and acknowledge what we have achieved over the three months.

We’re using this exercise on a real problem…and we’ll be able to use the same process on any problem we later identify in our neighborhood. The ultimate goal of the process and our involvement is to join us and the police - those of us who live and work in the neighborhoods - in a partnership for preventing crime.

It was a day well spent! …and the breakfast and lunch were excellent! Fresh fruit, pastry, and hot caffeine offered for breakfast; and ribs, chicken, slaw, hot green beans, and about 50 different desserts for lunch. Thanks to Kearney’s Kitchen Inc!