Oakwatch: The Oakland Code Enforcement Project Minutes March 16, 2016 Present: Hanson Kappelman, Michael Medwed, Camille Burgess, Matt Landy, Julie Reiland, Officer Pauley, Officer Leshen, Lieutenant Wilson, Officer Johnson, Commander Holler, Kannu Sahni, Blair Kossis, Wanda Wilson, Rebekkah Ranallo, Elena Zaitsoff, Neil Manganaro, Ken Eckenrode, David Manthei, Pat Corelli, Arlin Karpuz, Mark Oleniacz, Dale Shoemaker, The Pitt News, Alicia Carberry, Corey Buckner, Liz Gray Mr. Kappelman read mission, stated appreciation to Jewish Federation for the meeting room, and led introductions. Maria Bethel was to speak about process with University of Pittsburgh Police for Disruptive Properties submissions. Maria is unable to attend today. Before Police reports, Oakwatch would like to discuss as a case study referring to issues that affect community quality of life. A party in South Oakland spilled out into the street; fights ensued. Also arrests were made from the house. The police incident reports were not tied to an address. Without this mechanism, the disruptive property ordinance cannot come into effect, the property owner does not receive notification from Disruptive Property office, nor would the social host ordinance come into play. Lt. Wilson said that Cmdr. Hermann investigated this incident in preparation for today’s meeting. An altercation occurred inside the residence. The person hosting the event ejected the actors involved in the altercation. So they did what was reasonable. Things happen. The person who lives at that address did not cause the disruption. The ordinance requires three incidents. Q: But this could have been the first one. Q: what about the distribution of alcohol to minors? A: persons involved in this case were of age. The type of criminal charges did not fit attaching it to a location because it was person-to-person altercation. There was an arrest; person was jailed. It’s not that Zone 4 is not working to attach incidents to the property. They instruct officers to do that when the case fits it. In this case, it did not fit. This discussion helps create better understanding by going beyond what the neighbors observed to get the underlying understanding of the issue. Four witnesses provided information to officers. The only complaint was the fight, not the party itself. There was no 911 call on the party for noise or other issues. Zone 4 Police Report 20 Non-traffic citations: 6 public drunkenness 4 underage drinking 3 disorderly conduct
1 criminal trespass 1 harassment 1 criminal mischief 1 open container 1 spitting 1 interfering with official duties 20 Arrests: 2/2 10:30 pm Centre & Craig DUI 2/3 warrant
arrest at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital
2/4 midnight Centre & North Craig DUI traffic stop 2/4 4:20 pm
Forbes & McDevitt false ID 2 vehicle accident suspended license
2/5 1 am
Garage Door saloon; criminal trespass. Owner had warned the person, returned again
2/5 9 pm made.
4600 Centre ave. Strong-arm robbery; ex boyfriend altercation. Warrant issued; arrest
2/6
Fifth & Robinson: drug arrest as result of a traffic stop
2/7
200 block Ophelia -- case discussed above in regard to disruptive property ordinance
2/10 8:24 pm One Stop Convenience Store, Blvd. of the Allies; armed robbery. Owner and employee restrained actor until police arrived 2/11 - 2/28
Theft of goods from vending machine. Security camera identified actor; arrest made
2/15
Terrace & Chesterfield; drug arrest as result of a traffic stop
2/22 7:06 pm Garage Door Saloon; actor threatened bartender; left establishment. Pitt Police arrested actor at pizza shop down street. Actor combative; taken to county jail. 2/23 2:18 pm Frazier & Parkview; drug arrests. Hand to hand drug transaction 2/23 4:45 pm
Forbes CVS; shoplifter
2/26 3:15 pm
De Ruad & Wyandotte; warrant arrest
2/28
South Bouquet & Forbes; traffic stop DUI
2/28 midnight 3700 Forbes; drug arrest
2/28 10 pm
One Stop Convenience Store, Blvd. of the Allies; stolen vehicle. Arrested later.
Incidents no arrests made: 2/13 2am
200 block Robinson; threatened by a gun. Ongoing investigation
2/18 4am Centre & Craig; strong-arm robbery. Purse taken, thrown to ground and kicked by two actors. Ongoing investigation Part one incidents reported: 13 thefts from businesses 8 thefts from persons 7 residential burglaries 5 thefts from vehicles 4 thefts from residences 4 stolen vehicles 1 strong-arm robbery 1 armed-robbery of person 1 theft by deception 1 rape; case cleared Zone 4 Announcements: Zone 4 is working with Oakland community members re: underground music scene – concert venues. They are working through social media to track them. “Peoples Warehouse” at 3319 Juliet. Cmdr Hermann spoke to property owner directly. Owner stated he was not aware then told residents to put an end to the illegal events. The next Facebook post was that venue was being moved. Continue to monitor them. Appreciate the assistance from community members. They are on top of it and have PLI involved as well. Do what they can to shut them down. City-wide public safety meeting coincides with next month’s Oakwatch meeting. Zone 4 public safety council meeting this Thursday at 6 p.m. Cops and Kids summer camp – good program for ages 10 – 14. Weeklong. SWAT, bomb squad. They fill up quickly. FOP Easter Candy Drive. Accept until late Thursday. For victims at shelters and hospitals.
Q: Can Zone 4 include date and time of incidents on the snap shot reports. A: Can look into it. Would add time; the goal of the reports is to give basic information out to people quickly. Pitt Police Report 122 incidents. 18 arrests, 71 citations. 52 off campus 1 aggravated assault 1 defined trespass 3 disorderly conduct citation 5 marijuana 2 drug violation 98 DUI 1 littering 3 pan handling 1 public drunkenness 3 public urination 1 simple assault arrest 28 thefts 11 off campus 24 underage drinking 3 warrant arrests result of traffic stops 26 j board citations Impact was proactive at 18 parties. Shut down or warned. 4 citations at two parties. Knock and talks at 2. Landlord at one of the properties followed up quickly by sending a letter to tenants stating that eviction will occur if there is another incident. Pitt Police also submitted these two properties to Maria Bethel for Disruptive Properties. 544 traffic stops in Jan – Feb. 9 DUIs. 10 driving without license. 1 suspended registration 15 parking in handicapped spot 25 red light violations 2 driving wrong way on one-way street
3 stop sign violations 3 traffic control device (following lane markings, for example) 4 no proof of insurance 3 suspended license due to DUI 24 license suspension 8 careless driving 9 inspection violation Officer Johnson introduced Commander Holler. He told the group he has been with Pitt for 12 years. He worked his way up the ranks. Pitt Police is more proactive now than ever. When he first got here, Oakland was like Mardi Gras. We really don’t see that now. Much fewer pan handlers or out of control behavior now. Pitt Police is doing their best to improve the community. This group coming together and taking care of your community – you all deserve credit. It is the best thing you can do. Working with us is how to be effective. Q: Conflicts with pedestrians and cars at stop signs. What can be done to make it less difficult to navigate? A: It is difficult; people don’t understand the right of way. Continuous thing that keeps occurring. Zone 4 stated that they will send traffic units to Bouquet and Sennott. Distracted pedestrians looking at phones and with head phones in, stepping out from between two cars can be dangerous. Cyclists not observing traffic rules. Property Progress Report 3376 Dawson. Has permit for two family dwelling. 3319 Juliet. 5 violations. Second inspection April 4. 3101 Niagara. Court date next week. March 24. 3421 Parkview. No court date yet. 3224 Blvd of Allies waiting for hearing date. Sidewalk, exterior walls. Structure is sealed now. 3401 – 3421 Bates. Second notice. 4/18/16 third inspection. Mayor’s Office Citywide public safety meeting is 4/20/16. Affordable housing task force 5 public meetings. Added central location in Hill District; April 5, 6 – 8:30 pm at Hill House. 3/23, North Side. 3/29 Kingsley.
This Friday, 200 anniversary of city incorporation. Event downtown. Cake, artifacts city-county building, gallery crawl. Bookmarks at libraries for adopt a lot tool kit. Lease a lot for a year. Grow-sell vegetables with $25 permit. 3/24/16 training session on that program. Q: Signs for Blvd. of the Allies? A: Will drive and look. MyBurgh app for android and iPhones available. 311 app. Report 311 through the app. Was released on 3/11. Rebekkah Ranallo noted some input from the City 311 office: When reporting trash, litter, debris to 311, it can be submitted two ways. If trash in public right of way = litter. If on private property = weeds/debris. This way it will get routed to the appropriate department. For graffiti: Documentation = Graffiti Squad and removal = Public Works. People should use “documentation” to err on safe side. Property owner can only give removal permission. Give us feedback and 311 will continue to improve. District 3 No updates; happy to field any questions. District 8 Dithridge sweep updates from September: 6 violations headed to court for 3 different properties. Street cleaning reminders can be used in 311 app. Pitt Student Government New SGB board has been elected. Hope to have the same level of engagement. Pat Corelli – issue with finding people to get involved to create tenant association. Current plan to fill tenant association through SGB roles. Pitt News diligent about reporting issues relevant to Oakwatch. In-depth report about knock and talks. Pitt is placing ads in Pitt News re: responsible drinking. New SGB rep looking forward to continuing work with the group this coming year. Pitt Student Conduct Matt Landy shared flyers re: St Patrick’s Day responsible drinking. Sent notice to parents notifying them that police will be out. Kannu Sahni described liquor control board grant activities – analyzing data re: student views on alcohol consumption. Training modules fleshed out; they will create tailored modules for RAs this summer. The trainings will be delivered over the school year next year. Working out details with Student Affairs. Small group conversations, not large forums. Targets – info out . 5,000 stickers out to food delivery businesses re: responsible drinking. Posters in bars. Meet one-on-one with incoming students over the summer. Presentation at national conference re: one-on-one meetings. This aggressive approach is necessary to achieve culture change. Other Announcements
Citizen observer patrol will be this weekend – Thurs, Friday, Saturday. Speak with Liz if interested. Just observe, not engage directly with people. Reminder to call 311 and 911 with issues. Oakwatch utilizes these reports to track trends and work collaboratively with enforcement partners. The city does respond to these reports. Submit tracking numbers to Oakwatch so that we have full picture of issues. Oakwatch will add major problems to the property progress report. A resident stated that a tree leaning over Frazier Street was taken down – it was a potential hazard. This was result of citizen submission through 311. Q: graffiti task force doing anything with Hardy Way yet? A: they have been there the past two days. Need a couple of cars to be moved and contact property owners. Issue also mentioned by 311 staff, was that property owners may be taking advantage of graffiti busters. Property owners with capacity to do so should remove graffiti with their own maintenance crews. Before the current computer system, PLI was not part of discussion and case referrals for graffiti and had not been issuing citations for graffiti. Now process is changing so that PLI can issue citations.