LONGVIEW SAYS FIGHTING CRIME NOW IS CITY'S NO. 1 PRIORITY

Fighting crime should be the city of Longview's top priority, members
of the community told the City Council at last month's Citizens' Summit.

Throughout the council's recent community outreach campaign, city
leaders heard a consistent theme of improving livability and reducing
the impact of crime in the area, according to a city of Longview
press release. But of all the issues raised at the Citizens' Summit,
"by far, solving the crime problem was the number one top priority,"
the press release said.

Residents and community stakeholders also said they want the city to
improve its image, clean up the Highlands neighborhood, preserve
existing neighborhoods and diversify economic development
opportunities. A full report on the summit results will be posted
on-line in April at the city's Web site, www.mylongview.com.

Based on what leaders heard from the community, council members are
concocting a strategic plan to guide their efforts in upcoming years.

In response to the public's concerns about crime, the City Council
has directed Police Chief Alex Perez to develop a public safety
strategic plan that ultimately will reduce the city's crime rate to
levels below the state average.

"Property crimes and the associated problems they bring are our
biggest challenges, and developing this new road map for our future
will help us win that battle," Perez stated in the press release.
"Our police department has made much progress on reducing crime over
the past few years, but it can and must do better to keep our community safe."

As of 2005, the city of 35,000 ranked No. 6 in the state in the
number of crimes per 1,000 residents. (Longview's crime statistics
for 2006 have not been released yet.)

The city's property crime rate for 2005 was 89.1 per 1,000 residents,
compared to the state average of 49.4 that year. In 2006, the state
average for property crimes dropped to 44.7 percent, according to the
state's annual crime report released Monday by the Washington
Association of Sheriff's & Police Chiefs.

Longview's violent crime rate of 4.2 per 1,000 residents in 2005,
while lower than most major cities in Washington, was nevertheless
higher than the state average of 3.47. The state average for violent
crimes dropped to 3.43 in 2006.

Perez said his department wants to keep the violent crime rate lower
than the larger cities "by looking at what we can aggressively do now
for our future."

Among other things, the police department's strategic plan will call for:

Hiring a senior lead officer for the crime-ridden Highlands area;

Making the Highlands Satellite Office and community Block Watch
groups more effective;

Increasing nuisance abatement in the Highlands;

Partnerships with other agencies to reduce the local drug problem;

Identifying where additional criminal justice resources are needed.