Crime is down and people feel safe.
That's the message Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson has been spreading throughout his re-election bid as he urges voters to give him four more years.
For evidence, Anderson notes, look at Jan. 1, 2000, to Jan. 1, 2003, when Part 1 crimes — murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor-vehicle theft and arson — in Salt Lake City declined 10 percent.
"The bottom line," he said, "is in every aspect, public safety is vastly improved over the past four years."
Pignanelli, a lobbyist and former state House minority leader, has been trying to poke holes in Anderson's message. He maintains the city's public safety is not as rosy as Anderson maintains.
For instance, crime statistics show that for the first six months of 2003 (the most recent data available) there were more Part 1 crimes reported than in first half of 2000, 2001 and 2002, according to the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification.
Still, there was about 100 fewer Part 1 crimes in the first half of 2003 than there was during the first half of 1999 — the year before Anderson took over.
Besides poking holes, Pignanelli is making big promises.
If elected, he will put more officers — probably around 10 — on the streets by cutting or downsizing other less important city programs. Pignanelli says he will also reinstitute the DARE program (which Anderson cut) or a similar drug education program in the Salt Lake City School District.
Moreover, he is pledging to refocus police resources on what he sees as a resurgent west-side gang problem.
"Gang activity is definitely on the increase," Pignanelli said. "Drive-by shootings are up in Salt Lake City."
Pignanelli has the support of the Salt Lake Police Association, which was put off by Anderson's criticism of the department's handling of the Elizabeth Smart investigation.
Anderson, in turn, has won support from the city firefighter's union, which has appreciated Anderson's unwavering financial commitment to four-man fire crews on city response vehicles.
While Pignanelli supports four-man crews, he was non-committal when asked if he would ever consider cutting to three-man crews if budget times get even leaner.
"I support them now," he said.
Anderson touts public safety improvements on the city's west side over the past four years. The city recently opened Fire Station No. 9 near the airport and earlier this month opened the Pioneer Police Precinct, 1040 West 700 South. Both new west-side additions will improve police and fire response times on the city's west side, Anderson said.
Also, under Anderson's administration the city has shifted police services to favor the west side. Now 53 percent of the city police officers are stationed on the west side, even though only 30 percent of the city's population lives there.
But Pignanelli says the city needs to do more.
"We're going to to have to work to increase the number of officers on the street," he said. "The No. 1 reason why local government exists is for public safety."
As mayor, Pignanelli said he will cut the city's YouthCity Program, replace it with a public-private partnership with the Boys and Girls Club and use the money saved to pay for more police officers.
Of course, cutting YouthCity won't save a ton of money, so the challenger will also look at cutting or scaling back other city programs that he feels are less important to pay for more officers. Pignanelli also wants to restructure the city's debt, which he says would free up more money for police.
Moreover, Pignanelli says, if more officers are assigned to traffic duty they can generate — through fines and tickets — enough money to pay for themselves.
As for DARE, which Anderson cut citing the program's admitted ineffectiveness, Pignanelli said it's time to revive the program. While the original DARE programs had problems, Pignanelli said a revised DARE or a similar program is needed in the Salt Lake City School District. When Anderson killed DARE, he did not aggressively promote an alternative, leaving kids to grow up without a decent drug education program, Pignanelli said.
"Yeah, I've heard that some people don't like DARE, but I've heard a lot of people who like DARE, and it's made a tremendous difference in the lives of their children."
While Pignanelli points out how the city could do more, Anderson notes what has already been done.
More than ever, Anderson said, city residents feel much safer in Salt Lake City now than they have in the recent past.
Anderson cites a city poll released this March by Dan Jones & Associates, which found that Salt Lake City residents feel more safe in their neighborhoods and downtown than when Anderson took office. The poll of roughly 700 city residents found that a record 77 percent of those polled said they felt safe walking in their neighborhoods after dark. That's up from 54 percent who said they felt safe walking in their neighborhood after dark in 1999.
Additionally, the poll showed a record 69 percent of city residents said they felt safe walking downtown after dark.
"We've made huge progress in the perceptions of residents in our city," Anderson said. "There's never been a majority who said they felt safe walking downtown after dark."
If re-elected, Anderson said in his next four years he would like the city to focus more on a tips for cash hotline, where informers can anonymously turn in criminals and then pick up cash through private bank accounts.
Additionally, Anderson said he will continue to instruct city police and prosecutors to aggressively target illegal drug pushers. Moreover, with the implementation of the city's new MAPPS program, which tracks where specific crimes happen throughout the city, police can do a better job stopping specific crimes — like vehicle robberies — that are plaguing certain neighborhoods.
Pignanelli also supports MAPPS or a similar program.
E-MAIL: bsnyder@desnews.com