Community and Interagency Partnerships Reduce Crime in North Carolina
By Chief Tandy Carter, Shelby Police Department
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The city of Shelby, NC, is the safest it has been since 1988. The lowered crime rate and increased sense of security are due to the Shelby Police Department's renewed commitment to tightly focused policing; a strong collaborative partnership with federal, state, and local agencies; and, most important, a marked increase in community involvement and trust.
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As the first step to reducing crime and improving the quality of life in Shelby, the police department identified the city's biggest problem areas, starting with an intense geographic analysis that divided the city into three zones. Officers were reintroduced to a classic neighborhood beat system, with special attention given to the Weed and Seed area, Project Safe Neighborhoods sites, and neighborhood hotspots.
Another step toward a safer community meant engaging the city's elected officials and government leaders. Early in the process, the police department gathered all the department heads of local government and performed an "accountability walk-through" of the worst neighborhoods. During the tour, they identified contributing factors to crime in the area, including vacant buildings, graffiti, broken street lights, and drug traffic. Then, they worked with the appropriate agencies to fix what could be fixed and made action plans to address problems that required more long-term solutions.
Once problem areas were clearly identified, the Shelby Police Department focused its resources on the most distressed neighborhoods. For instance, the department identified the city's worst neighborhood—an area of about 1 square mile with the highest concentration of unemployment, vacant buildings, and gun violence—and then worked with the U.S. Attorney to apply for Weed and Seed recognition. This neighborhood, now called the Northeast Shelby Site, received official Weed and Seed recognition in October 2006. With Weed and Seed grant funding and other funding and support programs already in place, the police now have the resources they need to fight crime effectively and improve the quality of life within the site.
Establishing effective collaborations with federal, state, and local agencies proved to be another essential element to the police department's strategy.
In 2004, the Shelby Police Department worked with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and officers from the Gastonia Police Department, a neighboring community, to investigate a drug trafficking organization at the center of Shelby's estimated $50-million drug trade. This investigation resulted in a raid of 4 houses that netted 18 arrests, with a subsequent investigation catching another 7 of the area's most notorious drug offenders. The U.S. Attorney's Office was essential in prosecuting these cases, and within 18 months, 25 of the drug traffickers were sentenced in federal court to prison terms ranging from 3 years to life. Taking these offenders off the street has been a key factor in the dramatic decline in the city's drug problem and violent crime rate.
One of the police department's most recent collaborative initiatives is the Call-In Process. The Call-In Process uses law enforcement and civilian components for two goals: to motivate repeat offenders to remain free of any additional state or federal charges and to help these offenders acquire the skills they need to redirect their lives.
Repeat offenders with a history of drugs, gangs, guns, and violence are first identified and scheduled for a meeting with a coalition of community members called the Civilian Component Services, who provide outreach services that range from health care and counseling for mental health issues and substance abuse to job skills training and transportation. These civilians work with individuals to help them find employment and transportation; acquire their GEDs and life skills; and even find daycare, if necessary.
After this meeting, the offenders face a multiagency panel that represents the full justice system, including federal, state, and local police officials; prosecutors; and parole and probation officers. This panel sits at a U-shaped table and each member addresses the offender, saying, in effect, "We know you, this is what we know about you, and this is how we will personally deal with you if you step out of line." These meetings present law enforcement as a close-knit team committed to keeping crime off the street, and the individuals walk away with a very clear idea of the consequences of any crimes they might commit.
As valuable as these collaborations have been, the Shelby Police Department's most effective partnership to date is the average citizen's unflinching support of the police. After law enforcement has examined a distressed neighborhood and purged it of its worst problems, the city must hold on to these victories and build on them. This would not be possible without strong community support.
This support did not come automatically; the whole department has spent the better part of the past 3 years engaging the community to help reduce crime. The department has encouraged its officers to get out of their cars and talk to citizens, a personal approach that has been building public trust one encounter at a time. Because of these efforts, officers are now a visible presence in neighborhoods and on the street.
The community's support has taken many forms, including an increase in community watch groups—from 4 in 2004 to 25 or 426 new citizen contacts today. Citizens are also providing officers with more information about criminal activity than they did in the past. In 2005, if a person was shot or killed and 50 people were watching, nobody "saw" anything. In 2006, the police received 43 Crime Stopper tips compared to 6 in 2005.
This increased community involvement has also extended to the business community. To reduce business-related crime (e.g., counterfeiting, larceny, false pretenses, forgery, fraud, robbery, and embezzlement), the Shelby Police Department formed the Shelby Business Watch in January 2005. Each of its 65 participants—all business owners—accepted the following responsibilities:
- Say “Enough is enough,” and stop being a victim.
- Take proactive measures to reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim.
- Gain an awareness of current crime trends.
- Communicate openly with the police department and other businesses.
- Participate actively in the Shelby Business Watch.
In return for their cooperation, the police department offered local business owners education about crime trends and resources to help them prevent crime. This partnership led to a 36-percent reduction in business-related crimes from 2005 to 2006.
Another important aspect of holding on to reclaimed neighborhoods is building community leaders. Captains, lieutenants, and sergeants in the department have taken it upon themselves not only to redirect their energies into involving neighborhood residents, community groups, and business leaders in crime prevention and fighting efforts, but also to serve as role models to inspire the officers they supervise to follow the same values and priorities. In neighborhoods where no community leadership is in place, they identify the right people and train them. In neighborhoods with no community organization, they work to bring residents and business people together and train them to become trusted law enforcement partners. A particularly effective program in this effort is the city's Citizen Police Academy. To date, 88 citizens have taken this 8-week course to learn how to tackle their community's patterns of crime, and Shelby began its sixth academy session on February 22, 2007, with 15 new citizen participants.
The Shelby Police Department is proud of the city's decrease in reported crimes from 2,011 in 2004 to 1499 in 2006, but it also recognizes that these numbers are still high for a community of its size. The city is a long way from the department's admittedly lofty but not impossible goal of 800 reported crimes per year. By lowering crime to that level, the Shelby Police Department will control the city's crime rather than being controlled by it. How long it takes to reach that level will depend on the resources available and the level of continued citizen involvement.
For more information, contact:
Chief Tandy Carter or Capt. Jeff Ledford
Shelby Police Department
