Restitution Work Crews: “It’s time for juveniles that commit a criminal act against individuals or society to pay the community back through restitution work crews. I would work with the chief of the juvenile court to deploy juvenile work crews in our community cleaning, mowing, painting, and picking up flood zones. This would provide juvenile court officers a new option for sentencing. Not only does this help to repair some of the damage caused, but it also teaches the discipline of hard work.”
Safe Schools - Juvenile crime is on the rise. “We need more intelligence as we fight gangs and the rise in juvenile crime. I would partner with the school district and have officers in each of the high schools and middle schools. This will reduce patrol car calls and provide valuable intelligence from the youth that are being recruited to join gangs. Sioux City, Des Moines, and Davenport have all embraced officers in school with success at reducing their gang crime problems.”
Substations- “We need to add a West side substation. Law enforcement needs to be de-centralized and have a greater presence in the neighborhoods. It’s important for law enforcement to be visible throughout the community. We also should staff the substations during evenings and weekends. Currently staffing ends at 5 PM during the week with full closure on weekends.
“Criminals don’t limit their work to banker’s hours and neither should Cedar Rapids,” said Corbett. “We don’t need to put an officer behind a desk, but we do need a place where people can go for assistance without driving across town. Let’s have substations that are open on weekends and much later on weeknights.”
Reserve officer program- Cedar Rapids needs to jump start its reserve officer program. “I would add 10 to 15 new reserve officers. This is a great way to encourage individuals looking at a law enforcement career to get involved early. Mount mercy and Kirkwood both have strong criminal justice programs. The city can partner with them and create a win-win situation. The reserve officers get valuable experience and the city gets more patrol time at a very nominal cost.”
COP Shop Volunteers- Fighting crime requires more than just police on the streets. “Citizens and neighborhood involvement is critical to the success of fighting crime. We need to use community volunteers to help staff the substations. Volunteers can fill out reports and paperwork so police officers are on the streets fighting crime. Many communities have programs like this. Spokane, Washington is an example of a program that utilizes citizens and volunteers. I would partner and work with the department of corrections and their innovative programming.”
