Grant could help reduce crime in Rundberg area

APD was awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice in May 2012 for a project called Restore Rundberg, which began in January. The goal is to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in the area encompassed by US 183, Anderson Lane, I-35, Cameron Road, Braker Lane and Rutland Drive.

Federal aid

The grant is part of President Barack Obama's Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative to help high-poverty neighborhoods that are in distress. The three-year grant provides funding for research, increased police enforcement and community outreach to devise a sustainable, long-term solution for improving the area. Austin is one of 15 cities to receive the grant, along with San Antonio; Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Detroit.

Restore Rundberg is a collaborative effort among APD, the city of Austin, The University of Texas, Austin Community College, business owners, neighborhood associations, community leaders and residents. UT and a community revitalization team will provide APD with ideas for improvement. The community revitalization team comprises representatives from the health, education and immigrant communities, among others.

The first year of the grant focuses on developing long-term, sustainable plans for Rundberg and about $81,000 of the $1 million grant is dedicated to UT's research for 2013. The remaining two years will focus on implementing and evaluating those plans.

In April, APD launched a 100 Percent Enforcement initiative, which focuses on Rundberg Lane from Middle Fiskville Road to Lamar Boulevard. The initiative allows APD to arrest anyone who has a previous criminal history if stopped by police during specific days and times chosen by APD.

For example, if someone who was arrested for drug trafficking in the past is stopped for running a stop sign during the 100 Percent Enforcement initiative, police may arrest the person instead of issuing a ticket, Kianes said. Since February, APD has had six initiatives funded by the grant, resulting in 81 felony or misdemeanor arrests.

Reducing crime

David Kirk, associate professor of sociology at UT, is assisting in the research for the project and said improving a neighborhood takes more than just police involvement.

"We could certainly go out there and have the police department arrest all of the criminals in sight, but without addressing the reasons as to why the criminals were there and why they picked a particular place to commit a crime, ultimately new criminals will surface," Kirk said. "Addressing the underlying problem is absolutely essential if we're talking about sustained reductions in crime."

Collective efficacy—defined as cohesion and trust among members of a community and their willingness to intervene to control crime and maintain public order—is one important component to lowering crime and improving life in a neighborhood, he said. Improving housing conditions also helps to reduce crime, he said, and it is a process that is not common for many cities.

"The typical response is just to arrest the bad guy, and there is obviously a place for that, but there needs to be other strategies as well to address the core problems, such as [those] related to education, employment, housing conditions, things like that," he said.

Part of UT's research will include assessing numerous factors such as locations of crime, cleanliness of the neighborhood, visible crime activity and housing conditions. Kirk said UT plans to collect a sampling of door-to-door surveys to learn how residents feel about their conditions.

Possible solutions to improving life in the Rundberg area could include school dropout prevention and job creation, Kirk said. For those who were recently incarcerated and are re-entering the neighborhood, establishing stable housing is important as it will make it easier for the individual to find employment, he said.

To address poor housing conditions, Austin City Council is considering two ordinances to tighten code enforcement. The first would increase penalty fines and create a list of properties that have had two or more code violations within a year.

The second possible ordinance is a pilot program called Residential Rental Registration, which would require information about property managers, a list of tenant names and more in some Austin areas including Rundberg.

Resident response

Despite a goal of improving the quality of life in the Rundberg area, some residents have concerns about the methods of revitalizing the neighborhood. Cruz said immigrants might be fearful of racial profiling by APD and being deported. He said it is crucial to involve immigrant residents in the project to receive their input.

At a July 10 Restore Rundberg meeting, APD Commander Donald Baker said APD would like officers to be more accessible to residents and increase trust in the community.

"We are not trying to change the demographics of the neighborhood," he said.

North Austin resident Pamela Ellen Ferguson said one way to reduce residents' fear of racial profiling is to have continued community meetings in which they can speak to police officers in a less formal setting.

Kirk said engaging the public will help establish positive perceptions of APD.

"I think it's really critical to have the community engagement piece and to build trust with the neighborhood residents and ultimately enhance the legitimacy of not only the law and the police, but [also] the local government in general," he said.

Although the grant is only for three years, Kirk said he hopes Restore Rundberg will have a longer future.

"I have no doubt that with $1 million, the APD could lower crime in Rundberg no matter what they do. The key question is, 'For how long?'" he said. "I think they need to be very strategic in how they use that money in order to make it sustainable so that it is not just a six-month or one-year reduction in crime."