COPS Logo DOJ Seal Promising Strategies from the Field: Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions Promising Strategies From The Field Acknowledgments The COPS Innovations Promising Strategies from the Field series is a collaborative effort among the Institute for Law and Justice, local law enforcement agencies, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). At the COPS Office, Amy Schapiro managed the project and Noah Teates edited the document for publication. The project team also wishes to thank the following agencies for their participation in this project: Woodland (CA) Police Department, Warner Robins (GA) Police Department, Coventry (CT) Police Department, Yorkville (IL) Police Department, Gulf Breeze (FL) Police Department, Muskegon (MI) Police Department, Pima (AZ) Community College Department of Public Safety, Golden (CO) Police Department, University of Alaska Fairbanks University Police Department, Roseville (CA) Police Department, and the Dyersburg (TN) Police Department. Without their time and cooperation we would not have been able to showcase their work. Table of Contents Section Page A Message From The Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Woodland (CA) SROs Keep More Students in Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Warner Robins (GA) Reclaims Neighborhoods from Drug Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Coventry (CT) Uses Technology to Put More Officers in Neighborhoods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Yorkville (IL) Builds a Future Without Bullying . . . . . . 15 Gulf Breeze (FL) SROs Reduce Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . 19 Muskegon (MI) Reclaims Distressed Neighborhoods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Pima Community College (AZ) Automates Processes to Put Officers on Patrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Golden (CO) Keeps Small Town School Safe. . . . . . . . 33 Fairbanks (AK) Fights Alcohol on Campus . . . . . . . . . . 37 Roseville (CA) Builds Community of Neighborhoods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Dyersburg (TN) Expands Community Policing . . . . . . 47 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Table of Contents Photograph of Director Carl Peed Promising Strategies From The Field Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions Introduction The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has invested nearly $10 billion to implement and enhance community policing efforts in tribal, state, and local jurisdictions since 1994. Over those nine years, COPS issued nearly 37,000 grants to more than 13,000 agencies across the U.S. These grants tackle important and immediate needs of communities across America through 27 innovative grant programs. COPS' Universal Hiring Program (UHP) and Making Officer Redeployment Effective (MORE) grants help agencies increase the number of officers on the street who can engage in community policing activities. The COPS in Schools (CIS) grant program places law enforcement professionals in schools to work on a variety of school- related issues and foster community partnerships. COPS has provided nearly $6 billion in assistance to tribal, state, and local law enforcement agencies through these three programs alone. Other COPS grant programs focus more narrowly on specific issues. For example, COPS funded agencies seeking to develop collaborative responses to specific community problems through the Problem-Solving Partnerships grant program in 1996. COPS funds helped communities with higher crime rates, poverty, and unemployment hire COPS-funded officers through the Distressed Neighborhoods Project in 1998. COPS funded innovative community policing approaches to school-related problems with the School-Based Partnerships program in 1998 and 1999. COPS Tribal Resources Grant Program (TRGP) has helped tribal law enforcement agencies keep their communities safer since 1999. COPS funding has made a difference. By working to put more law enforcement officers on the street, the COPS Office increased the number of officers actively engaged in community policing activities. According to the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, about 22,000 officers practiced community policing in 1997. That number rose more than five-fold by 1999. Other research conducted by the University of Nebraska (2001) suggests that COPS hiring and innovative programs have helped to make a significant reduction in local crime rates in cities with populations greater than 10,000. Promising Strategies From The Field In addition to these grant programs, COPS works hard to deliver community policing training and technical assistance to America's state, local, and tribal law enforcement professionals and the communities they serve. COPS funds a national network of Regional Community Policing Institutes, which provides innovative community policing training to law enforcement officers, other government agencies, and community members. More than 210,000 people have taken advantage of this training. COPS also funds the Community Policing Consortium, which is made up of five of the leading police organizations in the U.S. and has provided technical assistance to over 5,000 law enforcement agencies across the country. The case studies that follow highlight the projects of eleven law enforcement agencies who found innovative uses for COPS funding. As more agencies report back on their progress in implementing COPS- funded community policing strategies, this series will showcase those efforts. The COPS Office hopes that in presenting them that others may benefit from these experiences, and that other agencies can learn from, replicate, and improve on these promising strategies from the field. Image of police officer with young school children Promising Strategies From The Field 4 Methodology The Woodland Police Department and the Woodland Unified School District had a strong working relationship in place before accepting the CIS grant. The two organizations outlined their respective duties and responsibilities in a written memorandum of understanding (MOU) when their formal collaboration began under the CIS grant. The partners meet regularly to discuss truancy, gang problems, and other issues. The WPD determined that the most effective way to assign the SRO was to share his time between two middle schools, as there was already an SRO assigned to Woodland high schools. Working with children in grades seven through nine gave the SRO an opportunity to establish a positive law enforcement image during this critical stage of the students' development. The new SRO's primary responsibility was to enhance the safety of all students in the school district. He was trained in community policing strategies and charged with serving the schools and students as a resource, a deterrent to crime, an advisor, a mentor, and a teacher. Specific SRO duties included handling all calls for service from the schools, helping the school district fight truancy, providing counseling, and teaching legal and safety matters. The SRO also trained police department and school district employees to respond appropriately to an on-campus shooting. To help address truancy, the SRO attended all Student Attendance Review Board meetings and cites students and parents alike for truancy violations. The SRO used a database to record all his activities and generate regular reports. COPS In Schools (CIS) CIS grants help law enforcement agencies hire and deploy additional law enforcement professionals to work in and around primary and secondary schools. CIS has helped to hire and train over 6,000 school resource officers (SROs) since 1999. COPS has allocated a total of $697 million to help hire SROs and an additional $21 million to train SROs and the school administrators with whom they work. Promising Strategies From The Field Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions Results Until the new CIS-funded SRO was hired, the WPD's patrol division responded to all school-related calls. The placement of an SRO in the district's middle schools has led to a number of positive outcomes: • Patrol no longer needs to respond to school-related incidents. • The SRO has increased the levels of trust, respect, and communication between law enforcement and the school community. • The school campuses are significantly safer for students and staff. The success of the SRO program helped the WPD to secure funds to retain both the middle school and high school SROs without federal assistance. These SROs continue to give campuses a heightened sense of safety, particularly by reducing violence and gang related incidents. Perhaps most importantly, attendance rates, student involvement in school activities, and grade point averages have steadily improved since the SRO program began. Image of 2 officers with citizen Promising Strategies From The Field 8 Methodology Starting in 1995, the WRPD used COPS hiring funds to add 17 officers in three stages. These new officers addressed street-level drug dealing in run-down areas in the jurisdiction, using focused law enforcement efforts, direct interaction with the community, community group involvement, officer training, and crime analysis. The COPS-funded officers were trained in community policing, drug identification, and public relations. The new COPS-funded officers allowed more specialization of tasking. Officers were able to focus on street-level drug dealing and move with the dealers from one neighborhood to the next. They were also able to stay in an area long enough to help residents address related concerns. That left beat officers free to answer calls for service and handle other citizen complaints without disturbing efforts to target drug dealing. Narcotics officers were able to focus on upper-level dealers. In developing its anti-drug strategy, the WRPD studied arrest figures, levels of reported crime, and feedback from community members. It also used a new records management system to maintain data on crimes reported and crimes cleared by arrest. WRPD narcotics officers went door-to-door in the target areas, telling residents about police efforts to combat drug dealing. The officers also made a point of visiting newcomers to those areas and telling them about city services and about how the police department could assist them. The department enlisted the aid and advice of the community by meeting with church groups, holding public forums and other neighborhood meetings, and consulting with public officials. Hiring Grants (UHP, AHEAD, FAST, Phase I) Several COPS programs help law enforcement agencies hire additional officers to implement or expand community policing efforts. COPS hiring grants have helped nearly 12,000 American law enforcement agencies hire more than 74,000 new community policing officers by distributing close to $6 billion since 1994. Promising Strategies From The Field Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions The WRPD carried its community policing strategies well beyond the war on drugs. Officers worked closely with church groups to develop after-school programs for children. The Department also helped to build technology centers where youth could learn about computers. Property owners and city government partnered with the WRPD to improve neighborhood conditions. The department also encouraged the city to buy and remove decaying buildings and clean up the property to improve the quality of life in the targeted areas by reducing the number of sites that could be used for criminal activity. Results These efforts brought a broad range of positive results. Relationships improved with members of the community. An increase in the number of calls for service suggests that the public is more willing to report crimes and concerns to police because they feel confident that when they requested assistance, an officer will respond in a timely manner. Dilapidated buildings were torn down or repaired to meet city codes, improving environmental conditions. Both property crimes and person- on-person crimes declined, and the targeted areas began to see new homes constructed and new businesses start. The WRPD's retention of the COPS-funded officer slots in addition to the department's regularly allocated positions will ensure that the positive trend continues. Image of 2 officers with police car Promising Strategies From The Field 12 Dispatchers wrote call information on IBM cards by hand and time-stamped officer dispatch and arrival times. They then filed the cards numerically, making it difficult to retrieve and analyze information about suspects, victims, witnesses, and locations. A Microsoft Access database was created to transfer dispatched call information, but only complainant and address data could be retrieved. Officers collected information about suspects and neighborhood problems in personal notebooks that they shared in briefings. The CPD faced other problems as well. Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) and National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data had to be hand searched for reporting. The CPD holds prisoners in a jail through arraignment, and the booking and release processes were time- consuming for officers. The inaccessibility of archived information and the time consumed by administrative tasks left little time for the CPD's 13 officers to properly analyze their suspicions and the public's perceptions about problems in the 14 neighborhoods along Coventry Lake. University police work closely with CPD on any problems involving students living off campus, but the CPD simply did not have the manpower for the type of analysis that the situation warranted. Methodology A COPS MORE grant helped the CPD meet this challenge with new technology. The Department's primary goal was to deploy technologies to more effectively analyze calls for service, particularly in the 14 communities managed by private associations. The CPD developed the following objectives to accomplish this: • Replace the antiquated manual dispatch with a computer-aided dispatch system (CAD) and upgrade outdated records management systems (RMS). • Provide officers with timely access to crime and incident information. • Increase officers' available time to work with residents to resolve problems. The department reports the automated booking system saves officers approximately 30 minutes in processing per booking, which adds up to more than 200 hours per year. Promising Strategies From The Field Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions A new CAD/RMS was purchased and became operational in April 2002. The CAD system allows officers to immediately retrieve all dispatched call information. The RMS offers several functions for detectives and officers. A case management module provides detectives an automated system for assigning and tracking cases for the first time in CPD history. The crime analysis program delivers accurate, timely information to officers about crime and service calls in each neighborhood. Weekly updates of crime analysis information for each of the 14 neighborhoods are posted on a bulletin board in the officers' briefing room. This information is also available to the public in handouts at meetings and is posted on the city's website. The crime analysis data has become popular with homeowner associations. This has opened the door for officers to attend each association's annual meeting to discuss crime issues and help residents solve problems. When crime analysis data showed that domestic violence was one of the highest calls-for-service problems in the 14 lakeside communities, the CPD arranged for domestic violence program training for its officers through United Services, a partner organization. Results The automated booking program has saved officers considerable time. Previously, officers were required to complete all booking forms by hand. The new program automatically transfers all dispatched information, such as suspect, complainant, and location, to electronic booking forms. This allows officers to complete the process with considerably less work. To free the officers from even more administrative requirements, the RMS also provides an automated report writing system (ARS), which has replaced hand-written reports. Electronic report forms also collect data for crime analysis and the RMS, and all UCR and NIBRS data is automatically coded from police reports. Plans are underway to make the ARS accessible to officers via laptops in their vehicles. The CPD reports significantly increased accessibility of the information and a great deal of time saved by the new technologies. This gives officers more effective tools to analyze and respond to neighborhood Promising Strategies From The Field problems, and more time to devote to doing so. The CPD estimates that each patrol officer saves about nine hours per week in researching and other inquiries alone. Dispatchers report that the new CAD system saves them as much as one hour per shift in manual administrative tasks. For the first time, detective supervisors can assign and track the progress of a case through prosecution using the case management system. The ARS collects NIBRS and UCR data in the field, saving records clerks the eight hours per month they once spent hand-researching cases and coding the information. The department reports the automated booking system saves officers approximately 30 minutes in processing per booking, which adds up to more than 200 hours per year. COPS funding is also being used to purchase Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) hardware and software. The department anticipates considerable time saving with AFIS, since each semester the department manually fingerprints 200 or more school employees. The town council, manager, and residents also benefit from the availability of crime analysis. Monthly reports provide the council with reliable information on which to base crime policy decisions and to properly inform the public. For example, an analysis of calls for service in the 14 neighborhoods revealed that crime was much lower than the police department and residents suspected. Domestic violence and suspicious persons calls were higher than expected, so the department arranged for a domestic violence specialist to attend patrol briefings and provide officers with training on family issues. Directed patrols were also organized and were used to address the suspicious persons calls. Crime analysis data also revealed a burglary problem in the downtown area. Officers worked with businesses and residents to address the problem. Their efforts included an increase in Neighborhood Watch programs in the affected area. The CPD reports that the state's Department of Public Safety was so impressed with CPD efforts to reduce neighborhood crime, it awarded the department a separate crime analysis grant. Image of police officer on bicycle talking to young boy Promising Strategies From The Field 16 Methodology One of the key elements of this project was a commitment by the Yorkville Police Department and the Yorkville School District to meaningfully and directly involve students in examining the problems of violence and in developing responses. About 30 to 40 students were routinely involved in the project. While the partnership encountered difficulties with student participation because of scheduling conflicts, the students' enthusiasm is believed to have significantly contributed to the success of the project. In addition to students, other partners included local businesses that donated food and equipment, social service organizations, community groups, and religious organizations, which provided meeting space at no cost. The project focused on identifying problems and preventing them from escalating into serious violence, and worked closely with students from the outset. Since little was known about student perceptions and victimizations, students were used as both focus group participants and researchers to craft the assessment. This active role was intended to improve the value of information gathered from students, as police and school personnel were anxious to accurately benchmark student exposure to problems, victimization experiences, and perceptions and concerns about safety and well-being. The needs assessment suggested that bullying, consisting of verbal abuse and intimidation, was a major student concern. The assessment also pointed to the lack of after-school activities for high school students. Results To achieve its goal, the partnership worked with students to develop and administer a school-wide survey. The survey examined information about students' exposure to gangs, guns, bullying, threats and School-Based Partnerships (SBP) COPS' SBP grants helped law enforcement agencies partner with a local school or school system and community- based organizations to address a persistent school-related crime on or around school grounds. COPS awarded almost $31 million in School Based Partnership grants that helped bring community policing to schools in 243 jurisdictions in 1998 and 1999. Promising Strategies From The Field Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions intimidation, and drug and alcohol use. Researchers also sought to identify specific locations in which problems occurred, and to determine the amount and nature of problem behaviors occurring within the school. The survey provided insight into problems in the school, particularly the frequency of bullying. More than half the students completed the survey, and analysis of survey data showed that: • Younger students were more fearful than older students, and freshmen were particularly concerned about being bullied or intimidated. • Male students were much more concerned about bullying and threats than were female students. • Students who were bullied or intimidated tended to seek help from outside rather than inside the school. • Students who had been victimized by bullying were more likely to subsequently bully others. The data suggested that a prevention strategy could be effective in reducing bullying and intimidation. Since students were most likely to be bullied early in their high school career and then become offenders themselves, protecting these new students from being victimized could interrupt the cycle and reduce the incidence of bullying in subsequent years. In response, the partnership developed the Care Team, which included the school resource officer, teachers, social service providers, school counselors, and an anger management team leader. The team meets weekly to identify and link services to students who may be at risk of offending or being victimized. The Care Team also provides coordinated case management services to students if incidents do occur. The partnership also identified a shortage of low-cost activities for students after school–a prime time for students to get into trouble. Grant funding helped students and others develop a skate park to provide a safe after-school activity. The most positive results of the prevention strategy are expected to be seen in future years, when students who have not been victimized by bullying will be less likely to bully other students. No one has surveyed students since implementing the Care Team, but school-based incident reports maintained by school resource officers remain stable despite an increase in the number of students in the school. Interviews with community members show that the community has a high level of trust in the police. Image of teenager spraying graffiti on wall Promising Strategies From The Field 20 The rise in crime associated with homecoming activities was the cause of great concern in the community. The idea of a curfew ordinance during homecoming week was suggested but quickly dismissed due to the anticipation of strong resistance by parents and students. Increased patrols and enforcement had little effect on the problem. Police records showed the incidence of vandalism had escalated to nearly ten times the monthly average for October in previous years. The number of assaults for the month also showed a significant increase. Many of the incidents occurred during late evening and early morning hours. This led the police department, parents, students, and school officials to form a collaborative partnership to address the problem. Methodology The Gulf Breeze Police Department's (GBPD) primary goal was to provide residents with a positive and safe environment to enjoy homecoming's week of activities. The following objectives were developed to accomplish this goal: • Prevent death or serious bodily injury to a student. • Reduce the incidence of vandalism and criminal mischief by students. • Create a safe environment for students and residents to enjoy homecoming activities. The community developed a broad-based approach involving school discipline, law enforcement, and positive incentives to address this problem. Parents, students, teachers, school administrators, school resource officers (SROs), and other law enforcement agencies met and crafted the following responses. Students created an Anti-Vandalism Pledge that contained a self-imposed curfew. Students who violated the curfew were prohibited from attending the homecoming dance. A similar strategy (Prom Pledge) has been successfully used by the school district during prom night. Vandalism complaints for October 2002 were reduced by 83 percent from the previous year. This monthly reduction was so significant that the annual number of vandalism complaints was reduced by 36 percent from the previous year. Promising Strategies From The Field Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions This collaboration included a wide range of partners. The school district totally committed to the program. It assisted in its administration and enforced sanctions against students who violated rules for homecoming. Parents helped develop the program and organized the incentive raffle for participating students. Local media actively publicized the program in the newspaper and on television. During homecoming week, other law enforcement agencies in the area also increased patrols in their jurisdictions beyond the city limits where many students live. Local merchants donated incentive gifts for the homecoming raffle and sponsored free skating, movie, and bowling events for students who signed the Anti-Vandalism Pledge. The students themselves participated in developing the program and in peer discussions with the school resource officer in middle and high school classrooms. One of the most important players in this partnership was the COPS- funded school resource officer. Much of the program's success may be attributed to the positive relationships and trust developed by the SRO. He helped champion the program and worked as a liaison between school officials, students, parents, and the police department. The SRO acted as a catalyst and focal point for the entire project. His familiarity with students, their cars, and their habits also increased the likelihood of catching students engaged in vandalism. Education was considered vital to the program's success. The chief of police and high school principal developed a closed circuit television presentation to educate parents and students about the program. The school resource officer, principal, and student peer leaders went to every high school and middle school classroom to present the program and discuss potential problems and solutions with students. The chief of police and high school principal co-authored a letter outlining the program that was mailed to all student home addresses. The program also included incentives to motivate students to participate. Parents obtained raffle prizes for students who signed the pledge. The prizes included a limo ride to the homecoming dance, a free tuxedo, a free gown, hair styling, and corsages. The school administration gave students who signed the pledge an extra tardy pass. The GBPD committed significant additional resources to patrol neighborhoods and known problem areas during homecoming week. The Santa Rosa and Escambia County Sheriff's Departments helped surveyed categories. Promising Strategies From The Field patrol residential areas where the students lived. Students caught out after curfew were reported to the school and the agreed upon sanctions were imposed. The media helped educate the community by publicizing the program locally. Results The collaboration produced impressive results. Vandalism complaints for October 2002 were reduced by 83 percent from the previous year. This monthly reduction was so significant that the annual number of vandalism complaints was reduced by 36 percent from the previous year. Assaults against youth and minors in possession of alcohol offenses were reduced to zero. Officers reported clear and visible reductions in vandalism in neighborhoods. There was only one rolling incident during the evening, and in that case the owner had given their child and friends permission to roll the house. These dramatic results were accomplished with only a 4.4 percent increase in the weekly payroll for the week of homecoming in October 2002. The COPS-funded SRO was so successful that the GBPD decided to expand its community policing efforts city-wide. The program is called Community Resource Officers (CROs). The city was divided into 10 zones, and an officer was assigned to each zone. CROs went house-to- house in their zones and distributed letters of introduction and trading cards with their photos so residents would recognize them. An activity report was developed to track and measure CROs' activity. Random customer satisfaction surveys are used to measure the public's perceptions of the police. Survey results show the department enjoys strong community support with 90 percent satisfaction ratings in most Image of female reporter talking to police officers Promising Strategies From The Field 24 The four neighborhoods targeted for DNTF interventions had the highest calls for police service, the largest number of low-income households, and the highest number of rental properties. The four neighborhoods were responsible for six of every ten calls for service in 1996 and 1997. They clearly represented crime and disorder hotspots for the city of Muskegon. The police also gathered information and identified the main crime problems through numerous contacts with community residents through meetings, ride-along activities, and informal interviews. This information led the DNTF to tackle fifteen specific categories of crime: prowlers, residential burglaries, business burglaries, auto burglaries, stolen vehicles, shots fired, armed subjects, property damage, assaults, assaults with weapons, criminal sexual conduct, larceny, larceny from a vehicle, robbery, and narcotics offenses. Methodology Once the target areas and crime categories were determined, the DNTF began work to expand the department's crime prevention programming. The police department already conducted a range of general community crime prevention programs, such as Community Child Watch, the Volunteer Server Training program, and Drug Abuse Resistance Education programs. From 1998 through 1999, the city conducted ten additional community crime prevention programs. These programs included school programs for youth, such as Kids and Cops. This involved distributing 120,000 police officer "trading cards" to thousands of local youth. The cards were autographed by officers and traded at a rally with the intent of providing positive interaction between officers and young children. The Police Mountain Bike Program involved youth education on bike safety and riding tips, and an opportunity for children to ride with officers, thereby promoting positive relationships in Distressed Neighborhoods Pilot Project The Distressed Neighborhoods Pilot (DNP) project awarded more than $111 million to provide additional community policing officers to poor and high-crime neighborhoods in 18 targeted cities during 1998. The selected police departments received three years of 100- percent federal funding for the awarded entry- level officers' salaries and benefits. Promising Strategies From The Field Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions addition to the patrol and enforcement activities of seven certified mountain bike officers. The Summer Playground Program educated local children about crime and road safety. Hundreds of children each week came to city parks to learn from officers about gangs, drug awareness, and bicycle safety. The "Say No to Drugs" Community March included the mayor and 200 community residents, focused on drug awareness, and concluded with social activities and entertainment. DNP funds also supported a variety of community events scheduled during this timeframe. The police-community Fishing Derby provided free fishing gear to area children and allowed officers and local youth to interact around a positive activity. The event gained wide acceptance from community organizations, neighborhood associations, and local merchants. Summer Celebration Parade and Picnic Day was an 11-day festival in which officers patrolled and interacted with community residents via foot patrols, bicycles, and mopeds. The Holiday Food and Toy Drive distributed food and toys to needy families in the community through church organizations with the help of community policing officers. National Night Out activities included a community-building festival in which officers partnered with neighborhood associations and corporations to stage a media event and an evening festival. For the first time, in the summer of 2000, the DNTF conducted a very successful Warrant Day. This event encouraged offenders with outstanding warrants to come forward voluntarily for reduced sentences. The DNTF worked with the community to address other concerns. For example, DNTF officers often relied on community support to set up drug activity surveillance in some of the four troubled neighborhoods. In addition, many vacant buildings in the target areas were boarded up as part of an effort to revitalize the neighborhoods. To do this successfully, the DNTF met with landlords to discuss better property maintenance, tenant screening, and better communication with community policing officers. City building inspectors also partnered with this initiative in an effort to clean up the neighborhoods. Officers also worked to remove numerous abandoned cars from the streets. In addition to the businesses, organizations, and residents who participated in special programs, partners included the Neighborhood Association of Muskegon. This also included the presidents of the neighborhoods associations, which held monthly meetings that members the three years of the grant. Promising Strategies From The Field of the DNTF attended. Agencies from local government participated, as did other government agencies involved in the justice system, such as Parole and Probation, the District Court, and the Prosecutor's office. Results As a result of the projects this grant funded, communication between citizens and police in the four targeted neighborhoods improved tremendously. Because of the increased positive relationships with the police, Warrant Day proved highly successful: 125 out of 194 total outstanding warrants were concluded. Due to this success, another Warrant Day was conducted in November 2000, and an additional 80 warrants were concluded. The MPD worked with the communities to apprehend and arrest a number of active drug dealers and close down a notorious drug house in one of the targeted areas. Due to the increased cooperation with landlords and the city building inspectors, the target neighborhoods have shown better physical conditions, and neighbors' attitudes about living there have also improved. Ongoing analysis of calls for service shows how the efforts of the DNTF have brought about a reduction in many of the targeted crime categories. The following charts illustrate a steady reduction in the number of burglaries, stolen vehicles, robberies, and UCR crimes over Bar graph of Muskegon DNP Neighborhood Burglaries from 1999 to 2001 Bar graph of Muskegon DNP Neighborhood Robberies from 1999 to 2001 Bar graph of crime totals in DNP Neighborhoods for 12 UCR Crimes from 1999 to 2001 Image of 2 officers in police cruiser Promising Strategies From The Field 30 The sergeants who supervise patrol officers were also spending increasing amounts of time on various administrative tasks and often had to wait to use the single available computer at main headquarters. As a result, both patrol officers and their supervisors were spending more time out of the field than was desirable. This decreased opportunities for officers to interact with students and campus personnel, and to solve problems and police proactively. Methodology A COPS MORE grant helped the DPS purchase five desktop computers, four laptops, and report-writing software. This reduced the time officers spent on report preparation and administrative duties and increased the amount of time they could spend in the community. The DPS determined to create a more efficient and expedient system for preparing and submitting reports and use other means to streamline administrative and clerical tasks, providing more time for officers to work directly with the community. The DPS's objectives were to enhance access to computers and use special report-writing software in order to accomplish the following: • Reduce the time patrol officers spent away from field preparing reports. • Reduce the time sergeants spent at the station engaged in administrative tasks. • Improve report accuracy and overall quality. • Create more time for community policing. Making Officer Redeployment Effective (MORE) MORE grants cover up to 75 percent of the cost of technology acquisition, equipment purchases, or support personnel salaries. MORE grants are designed to give law enforcement professionals tools that allow them to spend more time on community policing activities. COPS MORE grants have provided nearly 4,500 law enforcement agencies in excess of one billion dollars to redeploy police officers into community policing activities since 1995. Promising Strategies From The Field Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions Results The new items purchased with COPS funding allowed DPS officers to scan reports and other forms, and enabled them to place computers in substations. All reports–including special reports, such as DUI, traffic and incident reports, and requests for time off–are now completed electronically. Patrol officers go to substations to complete such tasks, which is more efficient than the previous hand-written reports. Because typed reports are more legible than handwritten ones, the error rate associated with these reports has dropped considerably. Pull-down menus that require officers to complete all fields on the report and enter codes for different events also have contributed to the reduction in the error rate. The reports are retrieved by patrol sergeants and returned to the main headquarters for entry into a database. Patrol sergeants also now have access to hook-ups for their laptops in the sub-stations, from which they conduct various administrative tasks. They no longer have to return to main headquarters and compete for use of a single computer to prepare administrative reports. They are able to connect to the main system and access information from the database as well, and can respond to emails promptly. Both patrol officers and sergeants are spending less time behind desks, which leaves more time for direct services that involve the college students, faculty, and other staff. More than half of officers' time is now spent in service-related activity. The department focuses heavily on proactive policing. For instance, day shift officers are assigned to work as liaisons, meeting routinely with administrators and other interested parties and jointly developing responses to specific concerns about crime and safety. Examples include target-hardening measures, such as improving the lighting in areas where students travel or that are otherwise vulnerable to crime. The liaison officers are expected to build partnerships with administrators and others who raise concerns about crime and safety on campus. While administrators are their primary partners, the officers meet with other groups as needed and collaborate on solutions to the problems identified. the CALEA accreditation process. Promising Strategies From The Field The most noteworthy result of the grant is that both patrol officers and their sergeants have more time to engage in direct service work with their partners and to patrol the campus. Routine access to computers and the automated report-writing system have saved approximately 45 minutes per report. This means officers have more than three times as much extra time for community policing than the DPS anticipated in its grant application! Computerization has become increasingly integrated into officers' policing work. Officers are far more computer literate since the grant project was implemented. Computers have become a regular part of the department's inventory, and the community college has absorbed these items into its budget, replacing hardware and software as it becomes obsolete. Also, in the years since it received the COPS MORE grant, the Pima Community College Department of Public Safety has become accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). It is the only community college law enforcement agency in the nation to have earned this status. Department leadership sees the grant as having played a vital role in the accreditation. The department was able to demonstrate a high level of efficiency and community involvement–both important dimensions in Image of police officer with juveniles Promising Strategies From The Field Methodology Upon receiving its first COPS hiring grant in March of 1995, the GPD hired and trained a new patrol officer so that a more experienced officer could be placed in the high school. A supplemental grant received in December 1996 enabled the department to hire another officer to assign to the middle school. As the officers became familiar with their assigned schools, they were able to identify and track crime trends. For example, at the middle school, while there were some arrests and suspensions for drug offenses, weapons, and gang-related incidents, the majority of suspensions were for non-criminal activities such as fighting, insubordination, and minor interference with educational opportunities. Conversely, at the high school, the majority of arrests and total suspension days typically were for drug offenses. Other problems experienced by the high school included truancy, fighting, burglaries to lockers, and thefts of backpacks and books. The high school also received numerous complaints from the community about students loitering in residential and business areas. By identifying these and other trends, the SROs were better able to establish appropriate programs and intervention tactics. These included law-related education and crime prevention awareness programs that were directly focused at the juvenile criminal activity that was occurring at each school. In addition, the officers taught classes at the schools on bullying prevention, coping strategies, and mentoring. They also participated in problem-oriented policing projects with the schools and in nearby communities and parks, and met with school resource officers from other jurisdictions to share information and resources. During this time the GPD also formed a partnership with a Golden- based organization called Tying Neighborhoods Together to Build a Generation (TNT). Their mission was to "implement and coordinate programs to help families raise children who value themselves, their families, neighbors and community." They offered programs such as Promising Strategies From The Field Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions parent education, medical clinics, tutoring, and mentoring. The school resource officer served on TNT's board of directors and assisted with risk and resource assessments, analyzing results, and mobilizing key community leaders and citizens to implement plans to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors in the community. Results The GPD found that having officers in the schools was a worthwhile and successful venture. It improved the quality of statistics reported at the schools so that the needs of the schools could be properly assessed. It also reduced the amount of student crime and other inappropriate behavior and contained the problems that did occur to the school grounds as much as possible. Through community meetings and other outlets, the school resource officers also provided a link that helped the schools and the community work together. For example, the officers often served as a sounding board when community members felt the school was the source of a particular problem. As a result, the school resource officer program contributed to improved relationships between the police and the schools, the police and the community, and the schools and the community. Having officers in the schools also reduced the need to take district patrol officers out of service for calls to the schools, which better ensured their availability for calls throughout the city. Since COPS funding ended in November 1999, the department has retained both school resource officer positions and continues to expand the programs, courses, and services they offer to the schools. Image of police officer talking to students Promising Strategies From The Field 38 The UAF University Police Department (UPD) sought to reduce the number of alcohol-related disturbances on campus, the number of officer-hours spent addressing this problem, the number of underage drinking offenses, and the number of repeat offenders. UAF also sought to improve the students' quality of life on campus. A COPS Problem- Solving Partnerships grant funded the UPD to survey students about their attitudes and behaviors regarding alcohol. Based on more than 200 responses, they learned that 68 percent of students engaged in binge drinking (consuming five or more drinks at one time) at least once a month, but only 22 percent drank three or more times a week. In addition, 75 percent attended parties where alcohol was served but food was not usually present and 77 percent of incidents involved persons under age 21, although only 61 percent of the resident population was underage. Finally, most students were not aware of the ramifications of problem drinking behavior. The UPD and other school officials reviewed the level of alcohol-related violations at comparable schools and found that UAF students had committed more than 12 times as many liquor law violations as their counterparts at other state universities in the Northwest. Officials felt that the extremely long, cold, and dark winters may have contributed to the relatively high rate of alcohol use and abuse by UAF students. Methodology A case-by-case analysis of police reports in the spring of 1998 revealed that 65 percent of incidents occurred on Friday or Saturday nights and 72 percent occurred after 11:00 p.m. The majority of incidents occurred in two particular residence halls. UAF police reviewed alcohol education and prevention efforts used by the university at the time. Problem-Solving Partnerships COPS Problem-Solving Partnership (PSP) grants provided police agencies and their community partners the funding to work together to address persistent crime and disorder problems in 1997. The program awarded more than $37 million to promote the use of problem-solving to identify crime problems, analyze why (and where) they occurred, develop tailored responses based on the analysis, and assess the impact of the responses. Promising Strategies From The Field Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions They realized that these efforts had not been particularly effective because they did not deal with when and where the majority of problem students drank (late on weekend nights and in dorms). Educational activities focusing on alcohol were generally scheduled during the day and near the student center, for the convenience of the presenters. In addition, no university-sponsored events open to minors were held after 10:00 p.m.–traditionally, the prime social hours for the majority of students. UAF police also noted that the problem dorms featured apartment-style living that housed underage students in the same units with those 21 and older. These living arrangements facilitated minors' access to alcohol and diffused the responsibility for incidents involving underage students in the dorms. Based on its analysis of the problem, the UPD developed three main responses designed to reduce alcohol-related disturbances: education, alternatives to alcohol-oriented events, and changes in residence policies. Alcohol education initiatives were targeted responses aimed specifically at the times and places that had traditionally been problem areas. For example, officers distributed literature that described penalties for underage drinking in the lobby of the dorm with the most drinking incidents on the Friday and Saturday night of the first weekend of school–traditionally one of the worst drinking weekends. In the spring of 1999, UAF began offering late-night weekend activities that would provide underage students with fun, healthy alternatives to events that were alcohol-centered. The late-night efforts also involved an educational component and slogan, Think Before You Drink. Alternative activities were offered every weekend school was in session and included a creative dating lecture, film festivals, Karaoke Club night, swing-dancing instruction, and intramural sports events. With the exception of some movies and the intramural games, all events were held in the two problem dorms and were timed to coincide with traditionally heavy drinking periods. Free pizza was always provided at the events to buffer any alcohol that participants did consume. Special efforts were made to reduce alcohol-related problems on All Campus Day, which students had renamed "All Case Day" because special honors were bestowed upon anyone who could drink a case of beer within the 24-hour day. Because problems tended to occur mid-day during this event, UAF specifically targeted its response by sponsoring an afternoon barbecue in the parking lot of the resident apartment Promising Strategies From The Field 40 complex that typically was the site of a majority of problems on previous All Campus Days. Free food was provided to students, music and games were sponsored, prizes were given away, and alcohol-related facts were read over the loudspeakers at different points during the day. Finally, police recommended to the Department of Residence Life that students 21 and over should not be housed with underage students. Further, they suggested that all parties in one of the problem dorms be approved by the manager and be hosted by one individual who would be responsible for their guests' behavior. Residence Life became a key partner in the effort by providing people who assisted with educational or alternative activities. The Departments of Residence Life and Athletics participated in the Healthy Alternative events, and the Alaska Department of Family and Youth Services underwrote the activities. UPD overcame a number of challenges to implement this problem- solving effort, including apathy on the part of the students, and initially, the school administration. The UPD also learned that continuing to achieve significant reductions in alcohol-related disturbances required ongoing efforts. The impact of the education effort was short-term–no more than the target night or weekend at best. Further, with a highly transient student population, the educational process needed to be repeated each year. The most important lesson learned, however, was that a change in the Department of Student Activities' philosophy was necessary. Since the results of the police department's project became public, Student Activities altered its organizational philosophy by offering healthy alternative activities during the most high-risk times for alcohol-related incidents and at the locations where problem drinking tended to occur. Results The number of alcohol-related incidents decreased 25 percent during the spring of 1999 compared to the spring of 1998; and the number of officer-hours spent on alcohol violations decreased by 23 percent from 116 hours to 90 hours. Thanks to the efforts of UAF, the number of offenses attributable to repeat offenders declined 85 percent and the number of underage drinking incidents decreased 47 percent. Finally, the number of students who reported being negatively affected by an alcohol incident decreased 64 percent. Five years after the Promising Strategies From The Field Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions implementation of this project the Student Activity's philosophy change is still in place and the decline in the percentage of alcohol-related incidents has been sustained since 1998, both testaments to the long- term success of the COPS PSP grant. Image of McGruff talking with children Promising Strategies From The Field 44 integrally involved in the formation of the first neighborhood associations and the Roseville Coalition Neighborhood Associations (RCONA) and its 30-plus neighborhoods. When the neighborhood associations became more active and required more attention, the City formed the Neighborhood Services unit within Housing and Redevelopment (now called Economic and Community Services). This new unit is a primary point of contact for neighborhoods, assisting with a wide variety of community problems. Many other city departments (handling such matters as parks, planning, and recreation) have also made the neighborhood organizations part of their team. Those organizations continue to be actively involved in identifying and solving crime, traffic, and disorder problems in their districts. The RPD officer assigned to a given neighborhood attends neighborhood meetings where, among other things, he or she discusses local crime reports. The RPD also involved faith-based organizations in its community policing efforts. This has led to several churches and church-related groups taking ownership of their neighborhoods where they have become active in solving neighborhood problems. For example, the Lord's Gym has become a peaceful place for many former gang members to congregate, and Calvary Chapel specializes in reaching out to at-risk junior high youth in its area. The specific goal of this project was to institutionalize community policing throughout the police department and the city. The two main objectives were to (1) create distinct neighborhoods throughout the city and foster a sense of neighborhood identity and ownership among the residents, and (2) assign every RPD officer, regardless of his or her primary assignment, to at least one neighborhood. The RPD's approach consisted of two main stages: (1) analytical and preparatory and (2) strategic. The analytical and preparatory stage included: • Field Research: Over a period of five years, working groups from the RPD visited the Oakland (CA) Police Department to learn about its The size and scope of this well-planned project institutionalized community policing not just in the RPD, but throughout the city. Promising Strategies From The Field Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions "beat health" strategy, particularly community-based nuisance abatement of problem properties; the Sacramento (CA) Police Department to learn about its neighborhood policing strategy in older, at-risk neighborhoods; and the Portland (OR) Police Bureau to learn about that city's neighborhood organization structure. • Training: All RPD officers and many civilian RPD employees were trained in the basic principles of community policing and problem- solving. All neighborhood groups, once they were formed and organized, were given an orientation on the same subjects. • Community Surveys: Once the RPD defined the neighborhoods, it conducted an organizational meeting in each neighborhood. All city residents were invited to at least one neighborhood forum. Attendees were asked to identify, prioritize, and volunteer to work on their most pressing neighborhood concerns. During the grant period, the department also conducted two citywide surveys about satisfaction with police services and areas of concern. The RPD then employed the following strategies: • Hiring: The RPD used COPS funds to hire six additional officers so that all officers would have time to become more involved in their assigned neighborhoods. The department had 71 positions in 1995, before its first COPS hiring grant, and 89 positions in 2000 when its last COPS hiring grant ended. Thus, the six COPS officers hired during that period constituted one-third of the RPD's new officer positions. They are now funded entirely by the city's general fund. COPS funding allowed the RPD to add officers faster than it otherwise could have. • Neighborhood Assignments: Each officer was assigned to a neighborhood. Officers monitor crime and other activities in their neighborhoods, attend neighborhood meetings regularly, and work to solve neighborhood problems. • Neighborhood Organization: The RPD helped create a resident leadership group in each neighborhood, developed an umbrella organization of neighborhood groups, and assigned officers to each neighborhood. important role in City governance and politics. Promising Strategies From The Field • Training and Evaluation: The RPD trained officers in the principles of community and problem-oriented policing. This training was conducted at the annual Neighborhoods USA conference and also in- house by an RPD lieutenant certified as an instructor through the Sacramento Regional Community Policing Institute. Officer evaluations were changed to assess officers' involvement in the neighborhoods and their success in solving area problems. • Crime Information: The RPD established a system for supplying each neighborhood officer and each neighborhood association with a monthly report on its crime and incidents. • New Unit: The RPD established a Neighborhood Policing Unit to coordinate the efforts of neighborhood officers and residents. Results All these efforts helped the RPD achieve its goals. Not only had it successfully institutionalized community policing, it had raised the public's perception of its services. A 2001 written survey found that 82 percent of respondents were satisfied with police services, and a 2002 telephone survey found that more than 90 percent of participants were satisfied. The size and scope of this well-planned project institutionalized community policing not just in the RPD, but throughout the city. The Roseville Coalition of Neighborhood Associations has become a force in city government. Neighborhood projects are forwarded to the coalition or the involved neighborhood association for comments. Many citizens have risen through the ranks of the coalition to become involved in city commissions and politics. Also, citizens now monitor crimes and conditions in their neighborhoods more closely and communicate with the RPD to resolve them. Since the COPS hiring grants ended, Roseville has grown to a population of 95,000. The RPD now has 103 sworn officers. Although the city's crime rate has increased and the RPD's workload has grown significantly, the RPD continues to assign neighborhood officers and strives to maintain close ties with neighborhood associations. The Roseville Coalition of Neighborhood Associations continues to play an Image of police officer talking to young boy Promising Strategies From The Field Methodology Then the DPD received a COPS MORE grant in 1996, the same year the city became an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice's Weed and Seed program. The COPS grant allowed the department to purchase laptop computers for its officers to use in the field. The DPD developed the following key objectives for the COPS MORE grant: • Use increased officer time available as a result of automated report writing to increase the department's overall community policing activities. • Create a Citizens' Police Academy. • Form a Bike Patrol Unit. • Establish Neighborhood Watch programs throughout the community. • Re-deploy two officers as school resource officers (SROs) within the Dyersburg School System. As a result of both COPS funding and its status as a Weed and Seed site, the Dyersburg Police Department has developed numerous partnerships with city and county agencies, community organizations, and citizens' groups. These included the Dyersburg School System, the Dyer County Juvenile Court System, the Dyersburg-Dyer County Chamber of Commerce, Neighborhood Watch groups, the YMCA, Habitat for Humanity, and faith-based initiatives. The MORE grant and the Weed and Seed program enabled the DPD to purchase laptop computers for officers in its central and satellite precincts, enabling them to stay in their assigned sectors for report writing and other routine office work. As the department began to reap the timesaving benefits of using computers in the field, it designated its first SRO. Next, the department established a Citizens' Police Academy, a six-week course that provides citizens with a working knowledge of the police department. The academy's hands-on approach allows participants to get a feel for what it's like to be a police officer. The class, which is offered free of charge and meets once a week, is taught by a member of a different division of the police department each week. Each division host/trainer explains his or her duties and responsibilities, helps make Promising Strategies From The Field Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions 49 participants more aware of the types of crimes occurring in their communities, and discusses what they can do to make a difference. After creating the Citizens' Police Academy, the DPD established several Neighborhood Watch groups and a Bike Patrol Unit, and placed a second SRO in Dyersburg Middle School. Along with these community policing programs, which are still in effect, the police department holds regular meetings with residents in the city's five patrol districts, conducts surveys to measure public perceptions, empowers patrol officers to solve non-traditional police problems, and encourages officers to interact with residents. Results The DPD reports that as a result of its expanded community policing activities, areas of the community that previously were among the highest in crime rates now are among the lowest. In addition, the DPD's community policing programs have been very well received. For example, graduates of the Citizens' Police Academy speak highly of their experience, and the Bike Patrol Unit receives strong community support. Each officer in this unit is assigned a pager, and residents regularly call bike patrol officers with information about neighborhood crimes. The time savings made possible by the COPS MORE grant meant that more officers were available to participate in community meetings and crime prevention activities. For example, the SROs, along with staff of the Bruce Recreation Center and the YMCA, participated in a free summer enrichment program for children sponsored by the Weed and Seed program. Nearly 100 children attended the ten-week program, which included breakfast each day, morning enrichment programming, lunch, and afternoon swimming. The program reduced crime in the neighborhood and increased parental involvement in community programs. The DPD reports that as a result of its expanded community policing activities, areas of the community that previously were among the highest in crime rates now are among the lowest. Promising Strategies From The Field Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions Conclusion COPS programs have advanced community policing across the country by funding more than 118,000 new officers and deputies, placing innovative crime-fighting technologies in the hands of law enforcement professionals, providing training to law enforcement and community members alike, and investing more than $282 million to advance community policing through technical assistance and evaluation initiatives. COPS has also produced a wide variety of publications for training, technical assistance, and research purposes. COPS continues to fund state and local implementation of innovative and effective community policing strategies. COPS looks forward to continuing to work with local law enforcement. Tell Us About it www.cops.usdoj.gov FOR MORE INFORMATION U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 1100 Vermont Avenue, N.W. Washington D.C. 20530 To obtain details on COPS programs, call the U.S. Department of Justice Response Center at 800.421.6770 Visit COPS Online at the address listed below. Created September 25, 2003 e09032071