Neighborhood crimes a focus of Duke Park neighborhood meeting with Chief Lopez tonight

Although crime has been on a steady downward trend in recent years, the East Durham priority-enforcement area at the heart of Operation Bulls Eye saw a much steeper decline last year than the City as a whole -- leading to the inevitable questions of crime displacement in the Bull City.

Residents of in-town neighborhoods have complained on local listservs that crime seems, at least anecdotally, higher than in the past -- particularly break-ins, which have plagued Northgate Park and other central Durham areas.

To say nothing of ongoing neighborhood concerns over traffic and speeding, culminating in the still-controversial "Angry Neighbors with Paintballs" satirical campaign that briefly made the national news this summer.

Duke Park has been in the heart of the storm on both issues. And Duke Park residents will have a chance to ask their questions and concerns to Durham Police Department Chief Jose Lopez this evening.

The DPNA is hosting the chief at a special meeting in the home of longtime association president Dan Read on Acadia Street at 7pm.

Crime and break-ins will be front and center on the agenda -- though we at BCR would be shocked if traffic didn't come up at least a tiny bit at the neighborhood meeting.