Vallejo, CA – The Crime Free Multi-Housing Program (CFMHP) was designed using the Neighborhood Watch model's principles to encourage residents and management of multi-family housing properties to become an organized group that shares information about potential criminal activity in their communities. The program was initially designed by the Mesa Arizona Police Department in 1992 and has been successfully adopted and implemented by almost 2,000 cities worldwide.
During a recent interview with a local media partner, Vallejo’s Housing and Community Development Director, Judy Shepard-Hall was made aware of an outdated CFMHP training document with some unsuitable terminology that did not meet the standards of Vallejo. This document was being used as a training aid for the Crime-Free Multi-Housing Program, which was adopted by the City in the early 2000's.
Shepard-Hall noted, "I am grateful that the reporter shared her findings with the City regarding the unsuitable terminology in this training document. The program itself is a collaborative effort between the Housing and Police Departments, and is meant to support our community members, helping them to live in a safe environment." Shepard Hall went on to say, " the training document presented to me did not speak to the values of the City, nor the Housing or Police Departments. I knew we had to do something to rectify this immediately, so we have taken the appropriate action."
As public safety needs have evolved, so has the need to enhance this program. The City of Vallejo is pleased to announce the transition of the CFMHP from a single consultant to a Community Public Safety Working Group (CPSWG) model. CPSW groups will lead public safety information meetings, share crime data, crime prevention practices, and other public safety information with local neighbors within each specified district.
The CPSW groups will be composed of groups of residents and business representatives who are responsible for selecting their district leaders, and community service officers assigned to assist in problem-solving surrounding crime and safety issues in housing communities. These community groups will act as a "think tanks" for community policing activities. All members will represent their larger communities and groups, and be diverse in their make-up. Like the Vallejo Neighborhood Watch groups in single-family housing communities, the CPSW groups will serve as a way for community members to solve problems together and make the City of Vallejo a safer place to live and raise families. In addition to these community organizing efforts, CPSW groups will also lead public safety information meetings at their own individual multi-family housing properties.
In the coming months, the City will formally announce the launch of the revamped program, which will include new training materials and a new informational brochure for those interested in becoming a part of the CFMH program.
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