Meanwhile in Boulder…I’m listening in on a town hall meeting with Police Chief Maris Herold hosted by the Dairy Arts Center. There's been an increase in camping in the park north of the Dairy, and two weeks ago a homicide victim was found there.
More than 100 people in attendance. Herold starts her introduction talking about challenges of COVID capacity limits at the jail.
Chief Herold is big on data-driven policing, so we've got a data-heavy report on citywide trends. Property crimes - theft, burglary, arson - are up this year.
Mapping recent crime. Lotsa shoplifting. What we're not seeing: maps of calls for service. 
👀Preview of encampment data city is collecting. Inquire Boulder data goes into this, along with police/city staff observations.
BPD Strategic Data and Policy Advisor Beth Christenson: "Top ten [repeat] offenders are experiencing homelessness at some level."
Herold reminding audience that Boulder crime rates are very low, and that very little violent crime involves strangers.
Audience questions: What is successful homelessness policy? Herold: Homelessness is not a policing problem. Police role is mostly limited to enforcement of camping ban (though they've been quite active in that regard).
Question about bike thefts: What can the community do? Herold: This isn't a popular message, but most thefts are crimes of opportunity. Lock up your stuff.
Why is 'take care of your stuff' such an unpopular message? Feels like this needs unpacking.
BPD strategy is now *weekly* sweeps of encampments to discourage permanence and limit environmental hazards.
Forum organizers asked for best means to contact police, looking for alternatives to 911. Herold *wants* calls to go through 911 because that's how BPD collects data. 😬
Herold: Police are using overnight park closures more frequently than camping ban to cite/sweep people sleeping outdoors.
Audience question about sanctioned encampments. Herold: My research shows these turn into violent crime hotspots. But public should do their own research.
How about giving money to people panhandling? Herold: City needs to improve messaging about donating to organizations instead of individuals.
It wouldn't be a forum on homelessness without stories about people coming from Denver for Boulder's generous services.
Audience question: If we have such great services, why are people camping out rather than using them?
Herold's answer moves seamlessly from service-resistance to meth addiction and back again.
Someone is concerned about safety while hiking and they are not talking about mountain lions. #Boulder
There's going to be another forum w/ the Dairy community in a few weeks, to talk about crime prevention strategies in their park. Just a reminder these kinds of meetings are happening *all the time* and you won't find them on the official calendars.
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