April 9, 2024
High Point’s Police Department has recently released a statement saying that the violent crime rate is down 15% from 2023. The two main reasons officers have been able to lower this rate is due to a focused deterrence model of policing as well as prioritizing community engagement.
Focused deterrence is a model of policing where police look at people who are subject to recidivism or repeat offenders and focus intervention on those groups people or individuals according to Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.
“We can’t police the entire city, there are roughly 100,018 people in the city of High Point,” says Interim Police Chief Curtis Cheeks. “What we do is we look at who are the people who are causing the most violent impact in the city, who are their associates, where do they hang out and then how are they facilitating that process.”
However, to prevent the person from becoming perpetually tangled in the justice system Cheeks says they make sure offenders know there are resources for them to leave their life of crime when they are ready.
Focused deterrence and community engagement go hand in hand with lowering crime. The High Point Police Department often hosts events like “Coffee with a Cop.” These events give people a
chance to talk with officers and get to know the person behind the badge. It also helps officers get better acquainted with the people they serve every day.
However, even though the crime rate has been lowered that doesn’t always change public perception of High Point being a dangerous place to live.
“Perception is a big part of reality for everyone in this city, if you never see a police car in your neighborhood, your perception is going to be it’s very safe. If you see a police car on a regular basis you may worry that it’s not,” said Cheeks.
Communications Specialist Victoria Ruvio spoke about how the things they post can also help public perceptions. “One thing I think we are doing a better job at is getting out press releases and posting things on social media that aren’t just reactions to homicides,” said Ruvio.
Their goal is for High Point citizens to feel safe where they live and know that the police are working to get the number down more and more every year.
The High Point Police Department strives to improve in all the ways that they can and are open to receiving feedback on how this can be done. From using research-based tactics to having mandatory counseling sessions for all officers they care about the way their officers interact with citizens and their families. To learn more about their efforts to keep the High Point community safe visit their website at highpoint.gov/police.