Studer Community Institute

Operation Night Light aims to cut down on crime

November 14, 2014
/ Mollye Barrows
/ government

There’s a proposal to add more lighting in some of Escambia County’s poorest, crime riddled neighborhoods, but not all commissioners are taking a shine to it. Commissioner Steven Barry is pitching the idea, called “Operation Night Light.” It’s a collaborative effort between the county, the Sheriff’s Office, Gulf Power, as well as other government agencies and private entities to install lighting in high crime areas. “There are going to be less shenanigans under bright, white lights than there will be in the dark,” said Barry, when he presented the plan at this morning’s Committee of the Whole meeting. The idea is that outdoor lighting will help lower crime rates, increase property values, and improve quality of life. Barry said it works by identifying areas within four zones of the county that need better lighting. Gulf Power would then install and maintain the lights. Different community partners, including private and government, would pick up the tab. Barry started with a lighting request for Zone 1, generally in the Ensley area, which calls for 178 lights. That would cost Escambia County about $21,000. Barry asked commissioners to support funding for about half those lights to kick off the program. Commissioner Grover Robinson was immediately on board, pointing out that every district in the county has neighborhoods that could benefit. “I think this is a great program. I’m very supportive, “ said Robinson. “We certainly have challenges in the Atwood area, off Davis. I think this concept would be great in that area so I would definitely like to see it cross all the districts in an opportunity to take this forward.” Commissioner Lumon May also wants to expand it and install lights in neighborhoods that fall under the Community Redevelopment Agency. Those areas are targeted for redevelopment and have money set aside to help with that. “I’d like to do it on a larger scale,” May said. “If we did it in the CRA’s we have an opportunity to provide some funds and have a larger impact.” But Commissioner Wilson Robertson is not ready to give the idea the green light. While he’s not opposed to using private or CRA funds, he worries the program would be unfair to taxpayers who already pay for their own neighborhood lighting. “How many subdivisions do we have in this county that we’re charging them for lighting,” Robertson asked. “There’s a method to get lighting everywhere, but somebody’s got to pay for it. Is it fair to pay for some and not for others, just because of crime? I guarantee you crime occurs everywhere.” Commissioners Barry and May argued that people in the neighborhoods that need better lighting the most, simply can’t afford it. Robertson wasn’t sold. “At some point in time you just have to realize if you can’t afford certain things, you just can’t do them,” said Robertson. “Does the government owe you that amenity?” The commissioners agreed to continue working on the plan before moving forward with it.

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Operation Night Light aims to cut down on crime

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