4th Main Street Armed Robbery in 93 Days - Let's tackle this with Cameras

Below is my letter to the commission. Please read through this information, and if you feel as strongly as I do, contact the commission and let them know how you feel.

http://www.ci.royal-oak.mi.us/portal/contact

Commission and Police Chief,

http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/suspected-serial-bank-robber-strikes-again-in-oakland-county

I understand that we are working on this, and generally speaking crime is trending down. But these type of events are extremely embarrassing. Specifically, because there have been 4 gunpoint armed robberies 0.8 miles apart on a linear strip of road - which is usually bustling. This has all happened in only 93 days, effectively telling us (if this statistic remains constant) that every 23 days somebody will be held at gun point on Main St. Royal Oak.

 
I live 0.6 miles away from this activity. I have to embarrassingly explain to my family, who encourages me to move to Rochester, why I am spending so much money in my house and in the community.

I know there has been more of a police presence in our downtown, but they can't be everywhere all the time. Especially when they have to deal "trouble businesses" like LA fitness who continuously draw attention away, or any other one of the random daily issues.

I deeply believe that strategically positioned / policed monitored surveillance cameras around high crime areas (downtown) and main entry / exit points to the city will greatly deter crime. It will also make it much more easy to track down and arrest criminals. This type of surveillance system could be linked to the new camera systems being installed in police vehicles, so one officer in a car could track the criminals on our cameras while the other drives to the location, or this could be tracked at dispatch and directions could be phoned in.

Please see attached report done by the Urban Institute. I strongly encourage you all to investigate an investment like this. I truly believe it will pay dividends and reduce city cost, insurance, and draw more business / investment in Royal Oak over time.

http://www.urban.org/publications/412401.html

http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412401-Evaluating-the-Use-of-Public-Surveillance-Cameras-for-Crime-Control-and-Prevention-A-Summary.pdf


I really do love it here. I just don't want find a reason to leave after having invested so much into this town.

Thank you all for your attention.