The North 24th Street Business Improvement District said it’s everyone’s responsibility to stop violence like we’ve seen this week. During its monthly safety meeting Thursday, Omaha police went over crime data and helped teach business owners how they can deter crime around their space. Executive Director of North 24th Street BID LaVonya Goodwin said the goal is to have no homicides in the area. This means everyone in the community needs to do their part.”People might say, ‘Well, that’s impossible,’ but I’ve been alive long enough to remember a time that we weren’t having a body count every summer,” Goodwin said. Goodwin said you can’t have economic development without safety. She said businesses need to help deter crime if they want to thrive. During BID’s safety meeting Thursday, police gave safety tips to help empower stakeholders. “When you bring people together and hear their concerns, and they understand that there’s tools and resources, you’re also giving them hope,” Goodwin said.Omaha Police Officer Angie Echtenkamp is certified in CPTED, or crime prevention through design. She said simple things like good lighting, fencing in properties and cameras are good tools. “They really do make a big difference, especially when you couple several of them together,” she said. Being aware of your surroundings and getting to know your neighbors is also helpful. Echtenkamp said knowing who lives and works in the area helps you know if something or someone is out of place. Commercial properties can also take additional steps, like joining the closed property program. It involves putting up signs with business hours on the property to help police enforce trespassing rules easily. Echtenkamp said other measures can be taken to help with safety at little cost. “Trimming those bushes, you can oftentimes do that yourself, having those lines of sight removing things from windows of the business,” she said. Goodwin likes to lead by example, taking measures like fencing on her property. She said others have taken the advice offered. She said over 20 businesses have joined the closed property program. She said OPD statistics show these measures are working. The first half of 2023 shows a reduction in crime in areas like robbery, assault, theft, and other crimes compared to 2022 and 2021. The homicide on N 24th and Decatur this week ties the number of homicides in BID’s area in 2022. “It’s tragic that it’s often the death of a young person that brings the work to light but also shows how far we need to go,” Goodwin said. If you have any questions about precautions businesses can take, you can reach out to the North 24th Street Business Improvement District or crime prevention specialist for your district.Get the latest headlines from KETV NewsWatch 7
The North 24th Street Business Improvement District said it’s everyone’s responsibility to stop violence like we’ve seen this week.
During its monthly safety meeting Thursday, Omaha police went over crime data and helped teach business owners how they can deter crime around their space.
Executive Director of North 24th Street BID LaVonya Goodwin said the goal is to have no homicides in the area. This means everyone in the community needs to do their part.
“People might say, ‘Well, that’s impossible,’ but I’ve been alive long enough to remember a time that we weren’t having a body count every summer,” Goodwin said.
Goodwin said you can’t have economic development without safety. She said businesses need to help deter crime if they want to thrive.
During BID’s safety meeting Thursday, police gave safety tips to help empower stakeholders.
“When you bring people together and hear their concerns, and they understand that there’s tools and resources, you’re also giving them hope,” Goodwin said.
Omaha Police Officer Angie Echtenkamp is certified in CPTED, or crime prevention through design.
She said simple things like good lighting, fencing in properties and cameras are good tools.
“They really do make a big difference, especially when you couple several of them together,” she said.
Being aware of your surroundings and getting to know your neighbors is also helpful. Echtenkamp said knowing who lives and works in the area helps you know if something or someone is out of place.
Commercial properties can also take additional steps, like joining the closed property program. It involves putting up signs with business hours on the property to help police enforce trespassing rules easily.
Echtenkamp said other measures can be taken to help with safety at little cost.
“Trimming those bushes, you can oftentimes do that yourself, having those lines of sight removing things from windows of the business,” she said.
Goodwin likes to lead by example, taking measures like fencing on her property.
She said others have taken the advice offered. She said over 20 businesses have joined the closed property program.
She said OPD statistics show these measures are working. The first half of 2023 shows a reduction in crime in areas like robbery, assault, theft, and other crimes compared to 2022 and 2021.
The homicide on N 24th and Decatur this week ties the number of homicides in BID’s area in 2022.
“It’s tragic that it’s often the death of a young person that brings the work to light but also shows how far we need to go,” Goodwin said.
If you have any questions about precautions businesses can take, you can reach out to the North 24th Street Business Improvement District or crime prevention specialist for your district.
Get the latest headlines from KETV NewsWatch 7
