Crime prevention means risk reduction. Use your instinct, commons sense, and actions to reduce potential opportunities for criminals. Take a proactive approach to your safety.

• Review and implement the helpful strategies identified below to reduce your risk of becoming a victim of crime.
• Sign up to receive email or text alerts from the Fresno Police Department
• Join or start a Neighborhood Watch in your neighborhood

Predictive Policing & Real-Time Crime Center

Predictive Policing
The newly created Predictive Policing Unit consists of three professional crime analysts and a sergeant. It is intended to ensure deployment of police resources in the most efficient manner possible, by making predictions where and when certain crimes are likely to occur. The analysts also work with investigative units by helping to identify crime trends, analyze existing trends and assist with suspect identification. In addition, our public webpage, “Fresno Crime Watch” allows Fresno residents access to crime data in their neighborhoods.

Real-Time Crime Center
The Fresno Police Department is currently developing a real-time crime center (RTCC), which should be operational late-2014. With the RTCC, our officers can respond to critical events with more operational intelligence – better prepared to make smarter and safer decisions to resolve these incidents. Before even arriving at the scene of an in-progress event, the RTCC can alert responding officers to potentially dangerous situations using information from multiple data sources, including commercial records, public and private video, Computer-Aided Dispatch, Records Management System, and other commercially available and proprietary systems.

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Violence Intervention & Community Engagement

The Violence Intervention & Community Services Unit (VICS), formerly known as the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Initiative, was established in 2006. It is a comprehensive multidimensional community engagement and violence reduction strategy under the umbrella of the Fresno Police Department. With the ever changing community issues the unit’s goal is to respond to the fluctuating needs of the community by providing high-quality engagement, and services to the diverse population of Fresno.

The objective is to minimize violence in our community by increasing collaborative efforts and provide support for our youth and families through partnerships.

In an effort to reduce the amount of gang-related crime throughout the City of Fresno, the unit incorporates the following violence reduction and community engagement strategies and core components.

• Services Referrals: The VICS staff facilitates direct services to eligible individuals identified in needs intake to existing local community agencies that focus on prevention, intervention, rehabilitation, and economic development. This coordinated approach through grassroots organizing and public/private partnerships, allow the VICS to reinforce local best practices. Service providers meet on a quarterly basis. These programs include needs intake, job training, job placement, employment referrals, substance abuse, anger management, mental health, education, food, housing, mentoring, dental, vision, medical, mentoring, youth activities, tattoo removal and other basic life skill services.To be eligible for VICS assistance, an individual:
  • Must reside within the City of Fresno.
  • Must have a direct tie to a gang (validated, associate or “wanna-be”) and desire to voluntarily leave the gang lifestyle.
  • Identify as a Human Trafficking victim.
  • Cannot have pending warrants and/or court cases.
  • Cannot be a registered sex offender nor have disqualifying offenses as determined by VICS.
• VICS Advisory Board: Board members meet on a quarterly base throughout the city. Members include representatives from local law enforcement, juvenile & adult criminal justice system, education, health, community member, faith community and social services entities. The Advisory Board evaluates emerging trends that address the gang population, facilitate interagency collaboration, troubleshooting, and assist where possible in the progression of the VICS unit strategies, including the review of current, future and potential resource opportunities.

A variety of federal, state and private foundation grants, violence reduction and community engagement projects are administered and supported by VICS. Projects include community outreach and engagement efforts as follows:

• Tattoo Removal: In collaboration with local Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission clinic, treatment is offered to VICS enrolled participants demonstrating a sincere commitment to change their lives. Visible gang related and or human trafficking brand tattoos may inhibit their ability to gain employment or transition into a healthier lifestyle. Participants receive treatment in exchange for performing community service.
• Community Outreach & Engagement: Bringing Broken Neighborhoods Back to Life goal is to build bridges of resources to community residents living in neighborhoods directly affected by gang violence. The objective is to host community events in gang infested neighborhoods during the spring and summer months. This community collaboration of service providers, FPD, and faith-based organizations meet 40 times a year every Tuesday planning events within the southern part of the city.
• Residents Police Academy: The primary purpose of the Residents’ Police Academy (R.A.) is to better acquaint Fresno community members with how the Fresno Police Department (FPD) works and details resource services available to the public. In collaboration with the Fresno Unified School District Parent University Program, the R.A. is a mobile academy conducted each year within the community in each policing district. Participants have the opportunity to dialogue with academy instructors comprised of Officers, Detectives, Sergeants, Lieutenants, Captains and Deputy Chiefs. All participating residents make an 18-week commitment, one day a week for three hours. Instructors provide an overview of various units and the responsibilities within the FPD. All classes are conducted in English.  Spanish translation is available if needed through our partnership with FUSD Parent University in addition to daycare which is also provided as needed through FUSD Parent University. For more information and an application, please reach out to us at [email protected] or you may call us directly at 559-621-2346.

If you would like more information you can call the VICS Hotline at (559) 621-2353 or Email: [email protected].

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Warning Signs of Gang Involvement

Individual

• Challenging of authority at home and school
• Hanging around areas of gang activity
• Possession of weapons
• Use of gang language or hand signs
• Frequent contacts with law enforcement
• Unemployed and in possession of expensive articles
• Clothing predominantly one color, common dress with local gangs
• Wearing sports clothing with no known interest in the sport
• Graffiti on self or possessions
• Tattoos

Family

• Avoid family functions
• Lost interest in the family and school
• Sudden demand for privacy or freedom
• Frequent and increasing combative behavior

Friends

• Loss of old friends
• New friends with negative influence

For more information on the Violence Intervention Community Services
Hot Line (559) 621-2353 
[email protected]