According to Fresno's ABC affiliate, KFSN, there has been a significant increase in crime in recent months. Police, in an effort to combat this troubling trend, are hosting a variety of community events. Many of the events take place in close proximity to where crimes were recently committed. Instead of simply trying to enforce the law, officers are combining community outreach with more traditional law enforcement activities.
The Fresno Police Department facilitates many community outreach programs including "Crime Stoppers, 'Bringing Broken Neighborhoods Back to Life,' Neighborhood Watch, Citizens On Patrol, our Citizens Police Academies, Chief’s Advisory Board and the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Initiative" according to the department's website. Some of their efforts involve hosting bounce house parties, ice cream socials, and other tactics designed to help a traumatized community recover.
Though community outreach programs are laudable, a spike in crime has the potential to lead to an increase in aggressive law enforcement efforts. When crime is particularly high, as it seems to be in Fresno at the moment, everyone in the community should be vigilant in their defense of the constitution. Defending a suspect's constitutional rights is always of paramount importance but may require renewed effort when a community sees an increase in crime.