Crime Prevention Programs

The Lino Lakes Public Safety Department's Crime Prevention Unit is involved in a variety of projects including Neighborhood Watch, Night to Unite, and Trail Watch. We encourage citizens to become active in Neighborhood Watch and become diligent in reporting suspicious activity to the Public Safety Department.

Crime-Free Multi-Housing

The Crime Free Multi-Housing program is designed to help owners and managers of rental properties keep drugs and other illegal activities off their property.

The Crime Free Multi-Housing program is designed to help owners and managers of rental properties keep drugs and other illegal activities off their property. The purpose of this program is not to SERVE the landlords, but to EDUCATE them and their tenants to improve the livability of the manufactured housing community by reducing crime. This program is honest and direct, solution-oriented, and its design is very effective in reducing crime on rental properties. To ensure the crime prevention goal is attained, the program has three key elements which are management training, security assessments, and tenant training. For more information, please contact Sergeant Mike Rumpsa.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)

This program acknowledges that the built environment can influence the citizen's ability to exercise control over their surroundings. Defensible space is concerned with enhancing those design features which support community interaction and good surveillance, while simultaneously denying the criminal anonymity, unhindered access towards targets and easy escape routes.

It is natural for humans to take more interest in something they own. Designing an environment that clearly delineates our private space does two things. First, it creates a sense of "ownership" which fosters behavior that challenges the abuse of that space or unwanted acts in that space. Owners have a vested interest and are more likely to challenge intruders or report them to the police. Second, the sense of owned space creates an environment where "strangers" or "intruders" stand out and are more easily identified.

Natural surveillance is a concept based on the fact that most criminals don't want to be observed while committing crimes. We need to create environments where there is plenty of opportunity for people engaged in their normal behavior to observe the space around them. Areas can be designed so they are more easily observed by yourself and others. It is possible to create, by design, an atmosphere in which the criminal feels uncomfortable and exposed.

The Lino Lakes Police Department has a commitment to working with everyone to prevent crime from occurring in our city. Increasing the community awareness on how to be "SAFE BY DESIGN" makes for a happier and more prosperous community to live and work in.

If you would like more information on CPTED, please contact Captain William Owens for more information.