KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City police are working with businesses in some parts of the city on keeping homes and operations safe.

Albro Galindo has lived and worked off Independence Avenue for 20 years and said he's been the victim of crime multiple times.

"Seven times they come in with gangs and stole from my restaurant," Galindo said.

Galindo said he's looking for ways to keep his family and workers safe.

For reasons like Galindo's experiences, a group gathered Tuesday near Independence Avenue with Kansas City police and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation to help prevent crime through design.

"Typically we fight crime by barricading ourselves," Kansas City, Mo., police Officer Jason Cooley said. "When we do that, we're inviting criminals to come in."

Cooley touched on three small changes he said could make a world of difference.

First, Cooley said, lighting can deter 90 percent of all crime. He said having lights on, even when people are not at home or work, can deter criminals. Cooley said 90 percent of all crime happens after dark, so the more lit up a street is, the better. Cooley did say the light shouldn't be too bright so people can't see outside the lit-up area.

Second, Cooley said, keeping bushes and trees cut back enough so they don't make a good hiding spot for an attacker is an easy fix. He advised those in attendance not to keep bushes higher than 2 feet and to keep a 6-foot canopy under trees.

Cooley's final topic was windows. He said most businesses along Independence Avenue have bars on their windows and he said it does nothing more than announce the neighborhood as a high-crime area.

"We want to get people out from behind those bars," Cooley said. "That's the only way to reclaim our streets."