Operation Bull's Eye, the Durham Police Department's two-year effort to reduce crime in a two-square-mile area in East Durham, concluded this summer after seeing a significant reduction in crime. But the initiative may not continue.
"We are pleased with the results of Bull's Eye, particularly the 28.3 percent drop in violent crime in the Bull's Eye area," Kammie Michael, public information officer and public relations coordinator for DPD, wrote in an e-mail.
She added that the number of non-violent crimes-such as drug possessions and prostitution calls-also decreased in the area, which is centered near South Alston and Morning Glory avenues, about 3 miles from East Campus.
Bull's Eye's efforts consisted of two year-long phases from May 2006 to July-a one-year surveillance period of crime patterns followed by a one-year period of increased police presence within the area. Yet despite having positive results, city officials said there is not enough funding to continue the program in the current city budget.
"It is just a matter of deployed resources," Durham City Councilman Michael Woodard said. "We have a limited number of officers and a limited number of funds."
He added that officers are not being moved out of the area, but there will just be fewer officers at any given time.
"The increase was not a result of moving police officers from one place to another," Woodard said. "It was rather an increase in overtime for officers already assigned to the area."
Overtime pay cost about $275,000 for officers during Bull's Eye, according to The (Durham) Herald-Sun. DPD officials said, however, they already have a plan in place to compensate for the operation's end.
"We are planning to remain in the area," Michael said. "DPD has its High Enforcement Abatement Team that focus on high crime areas and the district commanders can use them as necessary."
Some Duke students, however, said even with the drop in crime, they do not consider Durham to be any safer.
Junior Justine Jackson-Ricketts-who works off-campus at Erwin Mills Center-said she still worries about being safe.
"It doesn't make me feel comfortable walking around Durham alone, unless it is in one of those public areas," she said.
Indeed, Duke administrators said it is hard to assess the direct effect that Bull's Eye had on the safety of Duke students because it is difficult to correlate the information gathered from East Durham to the area around the University.
"Since we have such little crime statistically here at Duke, it is hard to attribute a shift in crime to any one thing," Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta said.
Despite a grim-looking future, it is possible that next year's city budget will give more funding to Bull's Eye, Woodard said.
"As we move into the next budget year, we will see how we can increase the budget to put more patrol cars on the streets," said Woodard. "But for now, we have limited resources."
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