Council chairwoman talks fighting crime in Ballpark Neighborhood
Feb 6, 2024, 6:54 PM | Updated: Feb 21, 2024, 9:36 am
SLCPD SWAT officers return to the command post during a SWAT call out in the Ballpark neighborhood (SLCPD).
(SLCPD)
Cleaning up the Ballpark neighborhood? Tune in to Dave & Dujanovic for a look behind the process.
SALT LAKE CITY — Violent crime in Salt Lake City is down by 11%, Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Erin Mendenhall reported this week.
In 2023, violent crime in Salt Lake City dropped nearly 10%, along with a 12% reduction in property crime and an 11% reduction in overall crime.
In the same year, overall crime dropped to a 15-year low, according to the Salt Lake City Police Department.
“In the Ballpark Neighborhood, we saw a 32% decrease in violent crime in 2023,” Brown said.
Ballpark Community Council Chairwoman Amy Hawkins told KSL Newsradio that the news is good and bad.
Businesses and police team up to fight crime
Hawkins agreed that the Ballpark community saw a drop in violent crime between 2022 and 2023.
“Unfortunately,” she said, “we haven’t seen a decrease in crime overall. We’ve seen an increase in property crime. So if you’re looking at overall numbers, they stayed the same.
“But in very recent months, since November 2023, we’ve noticed a palpable change, and I want to credit — thank goodness, thank goodness for our Salt Lake City police officers — but I also want to give credit to Salt Lake City Economic Development,” Hawkins said.
Positive changes in the neighborhood have occurred because of a partnership between police and the business community, she stressed.
She said some of the neighborhood’s most notorious businesses have closed their doors or changed ownership.
For example, a low-budget motel closed in November 2023.
One of the bright spots was the closing of “the most notorious convenience store in the area that was known to be a site of drug dealing throughout the valley.” It changed ownership, thanks to the efforts of one of our most dedicated” police officers, Hawkins said.
“I think we have a reason to be — feel good,” she added. “I think other communities have a reason to look to those same solutions.”
Related: Salt Lake City leaders note a large reduction in violent crimes
Dave & Dujanovic can be heard weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app, as well as Apple Podcasts and Google Play.
