SOUTH SALT LAKE — News headlines about violent crimes, such as murders and robberies, tend to give residents a sense that all crime is out of control.

But in communities across Utah, city halls and police departments are working to make communities safer places to live and play.

Take South Salt Lake. The city itself sits in the heart of Salt Lake County, spans about 7 square miles and is home to about 25,000 people.

Damanta Tamsina moved to South Salt Lake from Nepal and has lived in the same apartment for the past four years. The expectant mother has no plans to move because she feels it's a good area to raise her two children.

"I do feel safe to go to the park," she said. "I feel safe in my apartment and around our apartment."

When it comes to housing, South Salt Lake City Hall faces a unique challenge in that 60 percent, or about 4,400 units, are rentals. Traditionally, a larger concentration of apartments and rental homes can lend itself to tenant turnover, landlord and renter disputes, noise and crime problems.

"When I took office I really wanted to look at providing a holistic approach to really changing our community and healing our community," said Mayor Cherie Wood.

Wood came into office in 2010 with a leadership philosophy that every resident deserves to live in a safe, clean home and neighborhood.

"We've always felt we owe our community something better," said Wood.

Her administration seems to have capitalized on a downward crime trend that began almost a decade ago.

The city has seen a significant reduction in crimes that directly impact families and neighborhoods; crimes that tend to make residents feel unsafe.

According to FBI crime data, since 2006 the number of reported burglaries has dropped 40 percent and property crime reports, like theft, have decreased by more than 25 percent.

Cutting crime in neighborhoods

South Salt Lake Chief of Police Jack Carruth says buy-in from City Hall, police officers and the community is critical to create safer neighborhoods.

"If I can reduce crime, that's the ultimate goal. If I can control it to where it's at, as the population grows, and improve the quality of life, making it a more desirable place, a safer place to live, that's my ultimate goal," Carruth said.

He credits landlords for their willingness to participate in the city's Good Landlord Program. In fact, according to data provided by the city, 71 percent of rental properties are on board.

Carruth has assigned a police officer to work directly with property managers to quickly address crime, tenant and noise-related issues.

"We have one officer that's focused on problems as they arise," Carruth said.

He feels this approach can create an atmosphere of safety, curb the rate of tenant turnover, which, in turn, can help restore pride in community.

On top of this, property owners are encouraged to improve lighting, keep shrubs and trees trimmed back, and replace solid fencing with more open fencing, such as wrought iron. These steps can make it more difficult for criminals to hide out or go unseen as they attempt to break into cars and homes.

"Believe it or not, criminals actually weigh risk versus reward," Carruth explained. "If there's a higher risk of getting caught they'll move on somewhere else."

Juvenile arrests down

Communities looking to take a bite out of juvenile crime might want to take a page out of South Salt Lake's playbook.

The city has expanded the number of community and neighborhood centers that offer programs for even the youngest residents. To date, there are 10 centers spread across town.

"I feel we've met the number that we need to have it in every child's neighborhood," Wood said.

The concept of keeping hundreds of children preoccupied with positive after-school activities seems to be paying off.

According to crime data from the South Salt Lake Police Department, between 2010 and 2015 there was a 70 percent decrease in juvenile arrests between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

"You watch these kids flourish, and that's the most rewarding thing," Carruth said.

Contributing: Sandra Olney

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