In a new effort to crack down on crime in north Sacramento, a new community prosecutor has been assigned to help combat blight, illegal dumping, and misdemeanor crimes that have plagued the area.

Sacramento Councilmember Roger Dickinson represents north Sacramento. Now, he’s added the city’s only community prosecutor dedicated to a council district: his district 2.

The community prosecutor, based at the north Sacramento’s William J. Kinney police department, will help identify problems in north Sacramento to prevent crime before prosecution.

“The community part of this label means they’re getting involved at a lower level directly in the community,” Dickinson said. “They’re not waiting for the police to arrest somebody.”

Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho fought against cuts in the last budget year, and Dickinson negotiated with county Supervisor Phil Serna to have the county pick up the tab for this community prosecutor position for one year.

After that, the City of Sacramento will have to find the funds to keep the position in the future.

It’s what Nancy Azevedo has been pleading for. 

“Clean streets, with people and families getting around with people not worried about something negative happening. That’s what I’d like to see,” she said.

Azevedo lives in north Sacramento and has created a fortress around her home to protect her family, calling it “our safe haven.”

The fence she built highlights her safety concerns in her own neighborhood, where she recorded a cell phone video that turned viral of a car driving down her neighborhood bike path.