By Officer Tim Mitten
Community Action Officer
Black Mountain Precinct
Another year has come and gone; the passage of time marches on whether we like it or not. A new year is upon us, new challenges, new dreams, and new commitments to improve and whether it is to get in shape, quit smoking, be more involved in your community, or whatever other personal and professional goals you have set for yourself, it is important to remember that change can only happen when you decide it will happen.
Your neighborhood and community is an important aspect of your life and your family. You choose a neighborhood based on many things; schools, proximity to work or activities, friends or family, the style of the home, sales price, all figured somewhere in that equation. You may have also considered safety in considering where you live. The safety of neighborhoods and every individual in that community is our responsibility at the Phoenix Police Department. We take great pride in serving and protecting you and working to improve the quality of life in your neighborhood.
The Phoenix Police Department works to build community partnerships in many aspects; whether we are partnering with other law enforcement agencies or governmental departments for enforcement programs or to apprehend fugitives, partnering with schools to provide a safe school environment for our children, with HOA’s to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods or with our many businesses on a variety of programs. All of these are very important to us but the biggest partnership is with you, the resident of Phoenix. We as police officers are your partners in this endeavor, and will be there when you call and also when you don’t call, out patrolling the streets of your neighborhood as you sleep, work or enjoy time with your family.
There is a common theme I get in the questions poised to me, do we at the Phoenix Police Department know of things going on in the area. Sometimes we do know since we are out taking the reports, arresting the ones who are breaking the law and are out talking with residents. Law enforcement can be reactionary at times; we strive to be very proactive though and work to identify persons, places, and behaviors that are causing problems in our community. This approach leads us to be more involved in our communities, partnering with our residents to solve or prevent crime and to improve the quality of life for everyone in the City of Phoenix.
There is a common theme in most crime prevention and that is communication and awareness; communicate with your kids, your neighbors, your kids schools and your police department. If you see something suspicious in your neighborhood, call Crime Stop at 602-262-6151 or for crimes in progress, 911. I am contacted numerous times asking if I am aware of something going on in a neighborhood. With a city of 1.6 million and an area of responsibility for me of 85 square miles and 90,000 people, it is sometimes difficult for me to hear of everything going on but I do keep in contact with all of the communities I serve as much as possible so that I may respond with the needed resources to address whatever issue comes up.
I occasionally send out community safety emails if I have important public safety information that you need to be aware of. I don’t report every crime that occurs in an area but if we have suspect or vehicle descriptions, or are noticing a wave of thefts or other criminal activity I will send something out so that you and your neighbors can watch out for your neighborhood and call us. If you would like to get these emails, please email me at the email address below with your community name and email address. I do not share my distribution lists with anybody else, it is strictly for me to communicate crime prevention and public safety awareness information.
I am committed to helping each and every one of the neighborhoods I serve to improve their quality of life so if you have any questions or comments, I can be reached at 602-495-5238 or at tim.mitten@phoenix.gov. Thanks again for being involved in your community and partnering with the Phoenix Police Department to help improve the quality of life and safety of your neighborhood.
