The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety is working on a comprehensive summer enforcement plan to reduce violent crime. Director Dan McGinnis told city commissioners this past week he’ll soon be presenting to them a renewed effort to keep the community safe.
“It’s way more than just police arrests and traffic stops,” McGinnis said. “I’ll give you an idea. Yes, there is a layer of enforcement. We [also] have community outreach targeting youth and families, we have churches that have come together, we have community partners that are coming together, we’re targeting at least three to six apartment complexes. We’re rebuilding the ministerial alliance as part of this now. That’s a layer of it, a very, very important layer of it.”
McGinnis said code enforcement will also be a big focus with a total reworking on how the department handles things like illegal dumping and work on demolitions. He’s working with the city attorney to shape ordinances to make that easier. Another plan is to bring back block clubs. He asked for a committee meeting on the plans, and Public Safety Chair Ron Singleton said a special meeting could be called for that purpose.
