Why Public Safety Matters
- Miss Peacock
- Jan 9
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 12
Public safety is fundamental to transforming Lake Como into a vibrant and welcoming community. Crime, illegal dumping, and litter are persistent challenges that undermine the quality of life and the sense of pride and ownership within our neighborhood. Addressing these issues is essential to achieving our vision of a resilient Lake Como, where residents feel safe, invested, and in control of their surroundings.
While crime can occur in any community, when its frequency and severity increase, the consequences ripple throughout the neighborhood, affecting everyone. It diminishes the community’s reputation, discourages potential residents and investors, and can lower property values while increasing insurance costs.
Illegal dumping and pervasive litter not only mar the physical landscape of Lake Como but also pose safety hazards and create a negative perception of the area. Like crime, these issues deter investment and community engagement, preventing us from building the vibrant neighborhood we envision.
To foster a future where optimism thrives and residents are empowered, Keep Lake Como Beautiful (KLCB) has designed and implemented the On My Block Program, a comprehensive public safety strategy that utilizes best practices to tackle crime, illegal dumping, and litter in Lake Como. Our goal is to restore pride, enhance livability, and inspire collective action to make Lake Como a safer, cleaner, and more enjoyable place for everyone.
Crime
Comprehensive crime prevention strategies are essential to revitalizing Lake Como and aligning with Keep Lake Como Beautiful’s mission to create a vibrant and welcoming community. Effective crime prevention addresses both Place and People, focusing on strengthening our neighborhood and empowering residents to take control of their surroundings.
Place-focused crime prevention strategies include the following:
Control physical deterioration and disorder. By addressing graffiti, trash accumulation, and other signs of neglect, we can reduce crime and fear by showing that Lake Como is a cared-for and resilient community.
Target “Hot Spots” Focusing on areas with higher levels of criminal or nuisance behavior can significantly reduce crime. Through initiatives like increased lighting, clean-ups, and community presence, we reclaim these spaces for positive use.
The Como/Sunset Heights NEZ Strategic Plan proposes a comprehensive, holistic approach intended to revitalize the Como neighborhood. By thoughtfully designing our buildings and landscapes, we can deter potential offenders and enhance the sense of safety. This approach aligns with our vision of a community that adapts to changes and works together to maintain a safer environment.
People-focused crime prevention strategies focus on strengthening neighborhoods and the residents that live there.
Residents that work effectively together can help deter criminal activity. People-focused crime prevention strategies include:
Development of social capital within the neighborhood. Social capital is the glue that holds neighborhoods together. Strengthening social capital includes developing positive relationships that build mutual trust that enables residents to work together for the betterment of the community. An example crime prevention initiative is a neighborhood crime watch program to facilitate social cohesion, help residents learn how to identify and resist crime, and maintain the neighborhood’s physical environment.
Strengthen the families and individuals that reside in neighborhoods. Neighborhoods are as strong as the residents who live in them. Assisting families with child care, constructive family dispute resolution, employment, mental health, and substance abuse services builds human infrastructure and is essential to maintaining a strong neighborhood.
Illegal Dumping & Bulk Waste Piles
Illegal dumping, also known as “open dumping,” “fly dumping,” or “midnight dumping,” occurs when waste is disposed of in unauthorized areas, often late at night or from vehicles along roadsides. This act is typically done to avoid disposal fees or the effort required for proper waste management. Commonly dumped materials include construction debris, auto parts, scrap tires, appliances, furniture, yard waste, and household trash.
Illegal dumping poses significant health and safety risks to the Lake Como community. These dump sites are often easily accessible, especially to children, exposing them to physical hazards like sharp edges and harmful chemicals. They also attract rodents, insects, and other vermin, further endangering public health. For instance, stagnant water in discarded tires creates ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which can multiply rapidly and contribute to the spread of diseases. Additionally, runoff from these sites can harm local plants and wildlife, impacting the environment we strive to protect.
At Keep Lake Como Beautiful (KLCB), we envision a resilient community where every resident feels safe, empowered, and proud of their surroundings. Illegal dumping not only tarnishes the physical beauty of our neighborhood but also undermines our collective efforts to create a vibrant and welcoming environment. These sites often become magnets for further dumping and other criminal activities, diminishing property values and the overall quality of life in Lake Como.
Our mission is to transform Lake Como through comprehensive strategies that address illegal dumping, encourage responsible waste disposal, and foster a sense of ownership and accountability among residents. By working together, we can eliminate illegal dumping, protect our environment, and build a brighter, healthier future for all.
Litter
Litter, like illegal dumping, is a blight on our neighborhood, diminishing Lake Como’s appeal and hindering its economic development potential. Litter not only mars the beauty of our community but also clogs stormwater drainage systems and pollutes nearby waterways, threatening both our environment and quality of life.
National studies reveal that the presence of litter significantly contributes to more littering—essentially, litter begets litter. This highlights the importance of ongoing clean-up and beautification efforts, which are core to Keep Lake Como Beautiful's mission of transforming our community into a more vibrant and welcoming place.
Research also shows that the primary source of litter is people choosing to litter, with younger individuals being more likely to do so than older ones. To address this, Keep Lake Como Beautiful focuses on targeted messaging and active engagement of youth in clean-up and beautification activities. By involving our younger residents, we can instill a sense of pride and responsibility that reduces littering behavior.
Our vision for Lake Como is a resilient community where residents take ownership of their environment. Through education, enforcement of litter ordinances, and fostering a culture of social and peer accountability, we strive to create a cleaner, safer, and more enjoyable neighborhood for all. Together, we can build a future where every resident plays a part in keeping Lake Como beautiful.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Illegal Dumping Prevention Guidebook, EPA 905-B-97-01, 1998.
Public Safety Citation
City of Fort Worth. (n.d.). Como/Sunset Heights Neighborhood Empowerment Zone Strategic Plan. Fort Worth, TX: City of Fort Worth Planning and Development Department. Retrieved from https://www.fortworthtexas.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/neighborhoods/como-shnezplan_adopted.pdf, pp. 162-166.
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