Although most major statistics show that the crime rate has been steadily falling across the nation since the 1990's, it can still be a huge problem to contend with in some of the bigger cities across the nation. Like anything, more people tends to breed more problems. While law enforcement agencies and government officials are working diligently to fight crime in their areas, it is a never- ending battle but one that must be waged every day or else anarchy and social unrest ensue.

With population currently hovering around 400,000, Minneapolis, Minnesota keeps its emergency services constantly busy with requests for aid and assistance. It has been estimated that over a 1,000 emergency calls are received and processed every day by the police, EMT and fire departments.

Due to budget constraints and the sheer reality of the situation, it is not always possible to immediately respond to all calls made for emergency services. All calls involving life threatening problems are given first priority. The less severe calls for assistance are prioritized and processed in the most logical manner to ensure the best service possible.

During peak times, a situation is assessed using the following criteria before a cop is dispatched to the location. The process of such verification and dispatching a cop takes around one hour. An incoming call is considered high priority if 1. there is an immediate threat to life, 2. there are any injuries 3. there is any ongoing criminal action and 4. the offender is present in the immediate vicinity or is expected to return.

Minneapolis devised this method of prioritization of incoming calls in order to handle crime more expediently. It is effective because it reduces the chances of spending time and energy on low priority calls. Moreover, they can focus their resources to handle ongoing crimes quickly and effectively. These strategies are all part of the new CODEFOR plan.

The acronym CODEFOR means Computer Optimized Deployment-Focus On Results. CODEFOR, which involves all sections of the police force, is driven by four basic principles viz. a. providing timely and accurate intelligence on an ongoing crime, b. rapidly deploying resources and personnel in appropriate circumstances, c. ensuring tactics that are effective and d. relentlessly following-up and assessing the situation.

In another Minneapolis initiative, a voluntary program called ?Watch Your Car?, the participating citizens give a declaration to the police that their car is normally not used between 1 am and 5 am and therefore give the police permission to pull their car over if and when seen on the roads during this period.

Participants get luminous stickers for their cars. If a vehicle with the sticker is seen between 1-5 a.m. the police will pull it over even if no crime has yet been witnessed. The citizens are happy to join this revolutionary program because it is showing great results.

Although no crime fighting initiative will ever be 100% effective, the Minneapolis police department is certainly trying its best to make the community as safe as possible for its citizens. People considering relocating to Minneapolis will be glad to know that the community is committed to fighting crime and making the city a safe place to live and work.