Short North launches new safety efforts

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) –This weekend Short North visitors may see some more police officers. That’s because the Short North Alliance is re-launching their crime interdiction program in a partnership with Columbus police.

The re-launch comes just in time for a busy weekend with thousands of people in town for the Arnold Sports Festival. Saturday is also the first Short North Gallery Hop of the season.

Last May, safety in the Short North was put under the microscope after several violent weekends.

Nate DeMars is the owner of Pursuit, a clothing shop in the Short North. His business has been here since 2015. Although he owns a daytime business, his shop sat in the center of a few violent weekends in the arts district.

“It was jarring last year when we had incidents right here on our own block and it was, you know, something that the whole neighborhood in the city took very seriously,” DeMars said.

Multiple people were shot the first weekend in May followed by a homicide the week after.

“It's a very rare thing, but it's memorable. So I think we've been trying to combat perceptions based on what people remember from last year,” DeMars said.

Those incidents did prompt a city wide response with strict rules and visible changes. Betsy Pandora, the Executive Director of the Short North Alliance, was very involved in the safety efforts. She said safety has always been a top priority for them.

“We are so pleased that there have been a whole number of systematic changes that have been instituted across the city that certainly have impacted the Short North community in a positive way,” said Pandora.

Pandora said this weekend relaunch of their crime interdiction program is coming just in time for warmer weather. This brings in special duty officers to work in the late night hours. They are also planning to add to their Short North ambassador team and keeping up programs to help the homeless.

“We really are continuing to see people be excited by our Short North community,” Pandora said.

Demars said he’s seen the shift too.

"From that point forward, the neighborhood has felt, honestly, far more like the neighborhood I've known for many years,” DeMars said.

He said in the last year he’s watched new businesses come in and more people step up than ever before to keep the violence away.

“These were meetings where we expected there to be 10 or 15 people. There were maybe 100 people in the room,” DeMars said. “I take offense to internet comments about the state of the Short North. This is where I built my entire business. This is associated with pursuit and always will be. And the neighborhood that I know is extremely safe, it's extremely vibrant.”

Pandora said they are also making physical investments. They are being considered for grants from the city to help make that happen. She said when the weather gets warmer they plan to add more cameras and new lighting in the area.