DURHAM COUNTY: The Durham Police Department plans to launch a yearlong crackdown on neighborhoods in a two-square-mile area with the highest rate of violent crimes, Police Chief Steve Chalmers said.
Durham PD call it 'Operation Bulls Eye Target Area.'
In an open letter to Durham residents, Chalmers said the department has analyzed crime trends over the past year to help determine the best use of resources. The department has used the information to focus on specific areas in each district for 90-day initiatives.
The data has pinpointed a two-square-mile area in Durham with the highest density of both violent crimes and “shots fired” calls. The police department and other city agencies will concentrate on the area over the next year, Chalmers said.
"We used crime analysis to choose the area where we believed we could make the most difference by using intervention, prevention and enforcement strategies. We want to be proactive in our policing approach, rather than reactive," he said.
The police overtime cost is expexted to surpass $200,000.
From 2006 to 2007, the area that is targeted was the source for 17 percent of the city's shots-fired calls. Nearly 20 percent of gun crimes, about 20 percent of assaults and approaching half of the prostitution offenses. Further, many of the Bull City's identified gang members live in this target area.
