07-14-14 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Search

The addition of a 287 space park and ride will add challenges pre and post construction. The high voltage lights require copper wire that is a frequent target of thieves in Minnesota. Once the park and ride is complete, the area will be targeted for thefts from motor vehicles. While Metro Transit will have cameras that monitor the area, they are not monitored in real time. The park and ride will need increased officer presence and active crime prevention programs around the clock in order to prevent thefts. Population Growth With increased residential development, the population of Lino Lakes will rise. From 2000- 2012, Lino Lakes experienced a 43% increase in population, the largest in Anoka County. The Metropolitan Council has projected the population of Lino Lakes will grow to 26,300 in 2020 and 30,700 in 20309. There is no data to suggest that an increase in population alone will cause an increase in crime. However, more residents in Lino Lakes means more traffic and more citizens with service requests such as medical incidents, house checks, vehicle lock outs, animal licenses, background checks, permits to purchase firearms, and alarm calls. For example, from 2002 to 2012, there was a 23% increase in population in Lino Lakes and a 53% increase in medical calls for service (257 to 394), a 171% increase in neighborhood disputes (14 to 38) and a 243% increase in permit requests (88 to 302)10. An increase in population could also contribute to an increase in traffic congestion, traffic complaints, and accidents. If we do not take displacement and development into account and staff officers based solely on population, to keep our current rate of 1.2 officers per 1,000 residents we would add 6 officers by 2020 and another 5 by 2030 for an authorized strength of 36. While we reject the notion of automatic growth and increase, we believe that it is both fiscally and ethically advantageous to provide the resources to keep ahead of the curve and focus on prevention than it is to shift to a reactive model. Return on Investment in Police Services The City of Lino Lakes has a hard earned reputation for fiscal responsibility. In keeping with that overarching principle, it is important to discuss the police elasticity of crime. There have been several studies that discuss the relationship between the number of police officers in a given area and the crime rate, but their findings are ambiguous at best. The most comprehensive study in the area was conducted by Aaron Chalfin and Justin McCrary in 2012. Chalfin and McCarary include factors and variables that are important to the City of Lino Lakes and that most other studies overlook. Chalfin and McCarary are careful to take into consideration the desire to not have government funds crowd out private precautionary 9 Regional Development Revised Forecast located in Appendix D Zo Data obtained from County Wide Record System