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Salt Lake City is undertaking changes in the Rio Grande neighborhood that will drive out crime and allow homeless residents seeking help to get it, Mayor Jackie Biskupski told county leaders Tuesday.

Steps to thwart drug dealers include installing new lights on 500 West, as well as surveillance cameras, new pavement that prevents people from hiding drugs among rocks that have been removed and, possibly soon, deploying drones.

The update came as the city and county fell under sharp public criticism and pressure from state leaders earlier this month after two high-profile assaults — one on a minor league baseball player from Nevada and the other a hit-and-run that killed one person and injured several more. House Speaker Greg Hughes even raised the prospect of calling out the National Guard, though he later downplayed that while stressing a plan to create a homeless czar to supervise and coordinate crime-control and homeless-aid efforts.

"Salt Lake City will spend well over $10 million this fiscal year to staff and make improvements in the area," Biskupski told county council members. "It keeps our Community Connection Center and its successful programs operating. It will bring changes to the physical infrastructure on 500 West. Along with additional security features like lighting and cameras."

Among other changes, the city is getting ready to get rid of two "islands" on a median on 500 West and replace them with enclosed parking for city and county staff. The area currently is a hotbed for drug use.

"We are going to (next week) start putting up the temporary construction fencing around this project," said Mike Reberg, director of the Department of Community and Neighborhoods. "We want to disrupt the behavior in the area. We do want to start altering the behavior that exists now."

The parking lot will be a "fenced, secure parking lot" with a gate, Reberg said, which Biskupski proposed in her budget and the City Council approved.

Josh Scharman, deputy chief of the Salt Lake City Police Department, said the agency's special operations division recently received approval to fly drones in the area to provide more surveillance, one of several ongoing efforts police say will deter drug dealers.

The agency is installing surveillance cameras, and plans to remain a regular force in the area.

"One of the things that we've found in a very general sense is that the element that's down there, the criminal element ... they really dislike light and they really dislike cops and they dislike cameras," Scharman said.

The few dozen jail beds opened by the state and county funding to contract with other counties to house Salt Lake County inmates has already helped alleviate the problem, he said.

"Jail is the front door to a lot of services if I can't get somebody into court-ordered treatment or court-ordered mental health," he said. "You have to go to jail in order to start that process. Since they've opened up it's been tremendous."

Biskupski said the city's work would not only help cut serious and petty crime in the area, it would also prepare the city for a time when numerous developments are completed.

"There is a great deal of activity and project work that is going on right in that spot," Biskupski said. "We aren't resting at all. We are bringing online a great deal of change to this neighborhood and finding a great deal of support from businesses who see the impact we are having and see the promise and hope of change."

tanderson@sltrib.com Twitter: @TaylorWAnderson