Weed & Seed In-Sites
Spring 2007
Produced by the Community Capacity Development Office

Welcome to the spring 2007 edition of In-Sites, where CCDO gives you quick access to important information from the field. This issue includes stories about supporting ex-offenders during reentry, helping Weed and Seed community members file taxes, fighting methamphetamine abuse in Indian Country, and more.

Table of Contents

Letter From the Director
Letter From the U.S. Attorney
Law Enforcement
U.S. Marshals Operation J.U.S.T.I.C.E.
Get Out of the Game: Stop Killing People
Resources
Community Policing
Community and Interagency Partnerships Reduce Crime in North Carolina
New York Community Unites To Address Youth Gang Issues
Resources
Prevention
Youth-Led Movement Works To Create Crime- and Drug-Free Environments
Youth Leaders Advocate for Change in the Nation's Capital
Resources
Neighborhood Restoration
Northside Community VITA Program Is a Success
Racine Launches IDA Homeownership Program
VITA Site Tests Refund-Anticipation Loan Program
Resources
Reentry
ReEntry Court Shows Dramatic Results
Central City Reentry: A Crime Reduction Strategy
Resources
American Indian/Alaska Native
The War on Meth in Indian Country
Arizona Funds Six Tribal Anti-Meth Coalitions
Resources

Letter From the Director

One of the great privileges I have as the Director of CCDO is guiding the development of partnerships and programs that build local capacity, increase public safety, and improve the quality of life for Weed and Seed residents nationwide. Capacity development and partnerships are the essence of CCDO's mission. We aim to focus on emerging issues and proactively collaborate with public and private partners to address those issues.

In an effort to strengthen the Neighborhood Restoration component of the Weed and Seed strategy, we have embarked on an asset development approach to assist communities in building capacity in this area. CCDO is now one of more than 150 coalitions and partners engaged in a joint effort with the Internal Revenue Service to promote the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). As such, CCDO has 100 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) centers operating nationwide, providing our Weed and Seed residents with free tax services and facilitating their access to the EITC.

This year's tax season is almost over, and Weed and Seed VITA tax preparation performance is stronger than ever. During the 2005 tax season, the program's first year in operation, CCDO established 50 Weed and Seed VITA centers that processed over 11,000 tax returns and facilitated the generation of more than $15 million of disposable income in those communities. Our VITA centers also helped residents save almost $3 million in tax preparation fees, incorporated financial literacy components as part of their services, increased the number of volunteer hours and service to their programs, negotiated partnerships with banks and credit unions to open bank accounts, and linked residents to other asset development programs.

Our goal for the 2006 tax season is for CCDO's VITA centers to process over 22,000 tax returns and generate more than $30 million of disposable income in those 100 Weed and Seed communities. Recently, we conducted a preliminary review on the status of our VITA centers, and I am pleased to declare that we are well on our way to making this goal a reality. This is a great example of CCDO's ability to leverage our partnerships and resources to develop capacity in the nation's most troubled communities.

This year has also gotten off to a good start in terms of helping communities build capacity to reduce violent and drug crime in their neighborhoods. Our Weed and Seed sites have executed an array of services and programs at the local level, and we have been coordinating with them to do the same work on the national level.

One example of this work is our Drug Education For Youth (DEFY) program, which is conducted in partnership with the U.S. Navy and our Weed and Seed sites. The effectiveness of the DEFY program centers on its mission of building protective and risk-reducing factors for our youth ages 9–12. DEFY's promising practices strengthen and increase public safety for youth who are at greatest risk of substance abuse, school failure, delinquency, and violence. As with CCDO's capacity development abilities, partnerships are the cornerstone and an integral element of DEFY's structure. Many of DEFY's partnerships include local police departments, the National Guard Drug Demand Reduction Program, Boys & Girls Clubs, all branches of the military, federal law enforcement agencies, and local U.S. Attorneys' Offices.

We now have 80 Weed and Seed sites actively participating in the DEFY program. Weed and Seed sites in Arizona, California, Michigan, Missouri, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, D.C., all have DEFY programs that have been in operation since 1998. Our first pilot site in San Antonio, TX, was established in 1996, and I am glad to report that it is still going strong today. That particular DEFY program consists of a partnership with the local Weed and Seed site and the San Antonio Police Department.

In addition to the VITA and DEFY efforts, CCDO is strategically building local capacity by launching distance-learning mechanisms such as the CCDO Network Center and the Interactive Training Network (ITN). Both of these technology-based resources are designed to expand peer-to-peer learning opportunities among our practitioners, Weed and Seed network, and law enforcement partners. These new additions to our Web site will encourage cost-effective exchanges of promising practices and strategies nationwide and in real time. To learn more about these efforts, please visit the CCDO Network Center (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ccdo/ws/nc.html) and review the postings and resources. In the future, we look forward to opening other topical forums to include gangs, drugs, neighborhood restoration, reentry, and tribal issues.

I encourage you to visit our Web site regularly and continue to learn about the capacity development programs and resources that CCDO has to offer and to keep up to date on the latest developments.

Finally, I am pleased to announce the upcoming 2007 CCDO National Conference, to be held in Detroit, MI, from August 20 to 23, 2007. This annual event is a great opportunity to learn about the latest trends in law enforcement technology and in community crime prevention and control. It will also provide plenty of opportunities to develop partnerships and strengthen relationships with other community leaders, faith-based organizations, and local law enforcement. Save these dates, and I look forward to seeing you in Detroit.

Sincerely,

Dennis E. Greenhouse
Director
Community Capacity Development Office

Letter From the U.S. Attorney

Criminal activity by street gangs is a significant and long-term problem in the Central District of California, which encompasses 7 counties and a population of more than 18 million. In Los Angeles County alone, conservative estimates put the number of separate street gangs at approximately 1,000 and the number of individual street gang members at somewhere between 80,000 and 100,000. Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Ventura Counties are estimated to be home to approximately 40,000 to 60,000 more gang members.

The district's gangs are entrenched, territorial, and often multigenerational. Street gangs in the district engage in narcotics trafficking at the wholesale and retail levels, as well as extortion and money laundering. The gangs commit violent crimes both to extend and defend their other illegal activities and their so-called turf. Gang members also participate in well-organized robbery crews that engage in violent takeover-style robberies of banks, financial institutions, and other businesses. As a result of their violent activities, criminal street gangs are believed to be the driving force for the homicide rate in the district.

Street gang violence often encompasses innocent victims. In May 2006, Mynesha Crenshaw, age 11, was in her family's apartment in San Bernardino making tacos for Sunday dinner with her family when stray bullets from a gang shootout killed her and wounded her 15-year-old sister. And in December 2006, just before Christmas, in a neighborhood no more than a mile from Los Angeles's federal courthouse, Charupha Wongwisetrisi, age 9, was struck in the head and killed by a bullet from a gang shootout across the street. The bullet came through a wall into the kitchen where she was playing while her mother washed dishes.

If these types of incidents were not enough, several recent disturbing trends have increased the urgency for addressing the district's gang problem. First, after a 5-year downturn in gang-related crime, statistical data showed a sharp increase in gang-related crime in 2006 in many parts of the city of Los Angeles. San Bernardino, similarly, has seen recent increases in gang-related violent crimes. Second, certain of the district's gangs, such as 18th Street and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), have demonstrated increased organization, with growing ties to violent and well-entrenched prison gangs, most notably the Mexican Mafia (also known as La Eme). These gangs increasingly appear to be involved in protection rackets that resemble more traditional organized crime. Third, certain gangs appear to be committing more race-related acts of violence against non-gang members in efforts to preserve their turf from perceived incursions by residents or visitors of a different race.

Lest other areas of the country dismiss this district's gang problem as something unique, it is important to recognize that Los Angeles is a "source city" for gangs and gang members, meaning that Los Angeles-based gangs have migrated, and continue to migrate, to other communities throughout the country. For example, members and cliques of the Los Angeles-based 18th Street and MS-13 gangs have migrated all over California, the states of both the Southwest Border and the Pacific Northwest, and as far east as New York and Virginia. These gangs also have a significant presence in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. Federal prosecutions have also tracked Los Angeles-based gang members from various factions of the Bloods and Crips to communities all over the United States, including cities in Virginia, New York, Texas, Indiana, Oklahoma, and North Carolina. Where these gangs migrate, they typically bring with them increased levels of crime and violence.

This district is fortunate to have local law enforcement partners with experience and expertise in addressing violent gang crime. For example, in Los Angeles County, both the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) have experienced gang detectives and officers who know the various gangs and gang members and are dedicated to investigating and prosecuting gang crime. Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties similarly have dedicated gang crime detectives and officers.

In addition, Los Angeles County has two programs that have proved successful in addressing gang crime. First, at six locations in the county where gang violence has been particularly problematic, local law enforcement has implemented the Community Law Enforcement and Recovery (CLEAR) Program. This grant-funded program brings together all of the relevant law enforcement components (i.e., police, prosecutors, probation, and parole) at regular meetings to coordinate intensive enforcement efforts within the designated CLEAR Program target area. Coupled with these enforcement efforts are gang intervention efforts directed at diverting at-risk youth from gang involvement. To ensure that community concerns are accounted for, each CLEAR Program site has a Community Impact Team that includes community members and works with the other site partners to prioritize community problems and develop community-based strategies. The sites also work closely with local schools and parents to identify gang members and address gang crime being committed in and around schools. The CLEAR Program has well-established data reporting criteria, with statistical analysis demonstrating its success in reducing violent gang crime.

Second, the City Attorney's Office in Los Angeles has obtained civil gang injunctions in a variety of areas claimed by some of the city's most active and violent gangs, including the Bounty Hunter Bloods, Grape Street Crips, Shoreline Crips, 18th Street, MS-13, and Avenues street gangs. These injunctions proscribe a wide range of activities that, though not in and of themselves illegal, are used by these gangs to obstruct law enforcement efforts and to intimidate and maintain control over the areas they claim as their turf. Enforced through criminal contempt, these injunctions have provided law enforcement with an additional tool with which to work with community members to take back their neighborhoods.

Federal law enforcement in this district works closely with its local partners. The majority of gang enforcement is accomplished through task forces, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI's) Safe Streets Violent Crime Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives's (ATF's) Violent Crime Impact Team, the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA's) Metropolitan Enforcement Team, and several local task forces addressing gang activity in particular areas of the district. These task forces seek to complement local efforts, using a variety of federal criminal statutes to obtain lengthy federal sentences for gang leaders. The district has pursued a number of RICO (Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) prosecutions against the leaders of gangs that engage in organized violence, such as 18th Street and La Eme. Federal and local partnerships are crucial to success in these prosecutions. For example, after the murder of a Burbank police officer and a 16-year-old homicide witness by members of the Vineland Boys, a street gang centered in Burbank (in the San Fernando Valley), a task force comprising members of six local police departments, as well as agents from the FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, and Internal Revenue Service, engaged in an 18-month investigation that culminated in a RICO indictment charging 49 members of the gang with a variety of narcotics and violent crimes. To date, 38 defendants have been convicted, 9 following a jury trial; of the 9 convicted at trial, 1 has been sentenced to life in prison, another faces a mandatory life sentence, 6 have received sentences of between 15 and 40 years, and 1 remains to be sentenced with a mandatory minimum of 10 years. Trial for three other defendants on charges carrying the death penalty that arise from the murder of the 16-year-old witness will begin later this year. The net result of this investigation has been the dismantling of this gang's leadership.

In addition to RICO, federal narcotics and firearms statutes, which carry significant minimum sentences, are also used to address gang activity. For example, a recent FBI, LAPD, and LASD task force investigation of the Blood Stone Villains, a gang based in the Newton Division area of Los Angeles, using undercover drug purchases and federal and state search warrants resulted in arrests of 28 defendants, with 16 being convicted on federal charges and receiving sentences ranging from 51 months to 27 years. And in December 2006, a 7-month investigation by a DEA-led task force culminated in the arrests of 45 gang members believed to be major suppliers of methamphetamine in San Bernardino and its surrounding area.

Federal civil rights statutes have also been used where gang crimes are racially motivated. For example, in August 2006, in a case arising from an investigation conducted by an FBI-led task force, four members of the Avenues, a Latino street gang centered in Northeast Los Angeles, were convicted of a series of violent crimes and murders committed against African-Americans. The evidence at trial showed that these crimes were motivated by the gang's desire to keep African-Americans out of the neighborhood claimed by the gang. These four gang members were subsequently sentenced to life without parole.

Though joint federal-local enforcement efforts have been successful, the scope and nature of the gang problem in the district is such that enforcement alone is not enough. Both LAPD Chief William Bratton and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca have publicly acknowledged that arrests alone cannot solve the city's long-standing gang problem. In January of this year, the Advancement Project, a study group financed by the city of Los Angeles, released a report calling for an initiative similar to the Marshall Plan used to rebuild post-World War II Germany to rebuild gang-plagued communities and provide young people with jobs and other alternatives to gang involvement. The Mayor of Los Angeles has agreed with the report's conclusions, calling for the development of a comprehensive anti-gang strategy that "takes into account prevention, intervention, and suppression."

A number of federal programs already up and running in the district have recognized the need to couple enforcement with prevention and intervention efforts. Of the district's five active Weed and Seed sites, four are based in areas where the primary issue is gang violence. These sites have coupled enforcement with gang prevention programs ranging from gang resistance education for elementary school students to summer job programs for teens. The district is also home to a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) grant-funded Gang Reduction Project that focuses on a portion of the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles, which is home to five violent Latino street gangs. Led by the Mayor's office, the steering committee that oversees this project includes local and federal law enforcement, a variety of community-based organizations involved in gang prevention and intervention, and community residents. Suppression is centered on a gang injunction in place against one of the most violent area gangs, Varrio Nueva Estrada, and a CLEAR Program site that is coextensive with the project's target area. Coupled with these suppression efforts are a variety of prevention programs, including truancy prevention, a teen court, social services, and job programs.

A similar model is used in the district's Public Housing Safety Initiative (PHSI). This program, grant funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and DOJ, is based in an area centered on the Jordan Downs housing development in Watts, which is the turf of the Grape Street Crips, historically a particularly violent gang. Grant funding is being used to install a surveillance camera system intended to deter gang activity in the areas covered by the cameras, which include in particular corridors used by children to walk to and from school. Coupled with this is an increased use of community policing techniques, with a team of LAPD officers specifically assigned to the housing development in an effort to break down barriers of distrust that have developed between residents and officers over the years. In addition, a coalition of social service providers staffs a one-stop location within the housing development to refer residents to a variety of social services, including childcare, tutoring, English as a second language classes, and job training and placement programs. Following PHSI's implementation, violent crime in and around Jordan Downs has continued to decrease, even while violent crime in a neighboring housing development has increased.

Most recently, the district has been selected as one of six sites to implement DOJ's comprehensive anti-gang initiative. The target area for this program is also Watts and includes Jordan Downs and its neighboring housing developments, Nickerson Gardens and Imperial Courts, each of which is home to a violent gang (the Bounty Hunter Bloods and PJ Crips, respectively). Enforcement in this program will build on the PHSI project, with the expansion of a CLEAR Program site from Jordan Downs to encompass Imperial Courts as well; enforcement of gang injunctions already in place against the Grape Street Crips and Bounty Hunter Bloods; proactive investigations by a joint federal-local task force; and expansion of the surveillance camera system from Jordan Downs to encompass other high crime areas within Watts. Prevention and reentry programs intended to complement enforcement are being designed in conjunction with local schools and parks, a variety of community groups, and residents.

This district is proud of the collaboration between federal and local law enforcement and their community partners in efforts to address the district's gang violence. We look forward to continuing these efforts as we strive to make many of the districts most violent neighborhoods safer and better places to live and work.

George S. Cardona

Acting U.S. Attorney
Central District of California

Law Enforcement

U.S. Marshals Operation J.U.S.T.I.C.E.
By Trent Touchstone, Supervisory Deputy Marshal, U.S. Marshals Service

Law enforcement personnel are going door-to-door to deliver justice in Dallas—and the strategy is changing attitudes neighborhood by neighborhood.

Operation J.U.S.T.I.C.E., which stands for Joint Urban Strike Team Increasing Community Efforts, is a part of the U.S. Attorney-directed Public Housing Safety Initiative (PHSI) in the Northern Texas District. Based on the successful Weed and Seed model and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), PHSI is a crime-prevention effort of the U.S. Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The initiative assists law enforcement and neighborhood residents in the investigation, prosecution, and prevention of violent crimes and drug offenses in public and federally assisted housing.

The Northern District of Texas includes two major metropolitan areas—Dallas and Fort Worth. The U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) has close working relationships with law enforcement and community members in both cities as a result of Weed and Seed and PSN partnerships. U.S. Attorney Richard Roper felt strongly that both communities could benefit from PHSI and invited a group of key stakeholders to identify target areas and strategies to address crime in public housing in the district.

These stakeholders included HUD, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Dallas Police Department (DPD), the Fort Worth Police Department, the Dallas Housing Authority, the Fort Worth Housing Authority, the SouthFair Community Development Corporation, the Near Southeast Community Development Corporation, the Greater Dallas Crime Commission, and the Safe City Commission of Fort Worth. USMS is the lead law enforcement agency coordinating many of the activities under USAO direction. When identifying the two target areas, stakeholders considered the severity of crime problems, community perceptions, and community partnerships.

In October 2006, under PHSI guidance, USMS coordinated with federal, state, and local agencies to reach out to individuals in the Rhoades Terrace and Turner Courts public housing areas of Dallas. They distributed Community Relations Visit (CRV) Kits, which contained information related to drug prevention, household safety, community programs, home buyer programs, and other community services. Printed in bold letters on the front of each bag were the words "Operation J.U.S.T.I.C.E."

The CRV Kit phase of Operation J.U.S.T.I.C.E. was initiated to combine face-to-face meetings and gifts to establish a positive relationship with the community. In this way, the project attempts to bridge the gap between the two components of PHSI: law enforcement and community building.

The Law Enforcement Component
When the Northern District of Texas was selected as a site for PHSI in 2005, U.S. Attorney Roper requested law enforcement proposals from the steering committee he had assembled. USMS, which was represented in the committee, recommended a full-time fugitive task force that it had established 1 year earlier—the Dallas Fort Worth Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (DFW FAST).

DFW FAST is 1 of 91 Marshals Service Fugitive Task Forces (85 Local and 6 Regional Fugitive Task Forces) throughout the United States. It combines diverse resources from 13 agencies and provides a mechanism for concentrating these resources on a single goal—apprehending violent fugitives. DFW FAST has been an important element of DOJ objectives, such as PSN, so it was a natural fit when the area was selected for PHSI.

The Community-Building Component
In 2005, officers and deputy marshals from DFW FAST began a series of meetings with management personnel from public housing neighborhoods in designated target areas. These meetings helped DFW FAST determine the potential needs, interests, and goals of many public housing residents.

The idea of the CRV Kit emerged from these sessions when Supervisory Deputy Marshal Trent Touchstone remembered the "goodie bags" received from the numerous conferences and training seminars that he had attended. He asked, "Why not put together a small bag of materials that would be useful, informative, and appreciated by residents of public housing?"

From there, the idea grew into a method for law enforcement and DFW FAST to share valuable community resource information with residents, including local vendor discounts, health care information, drug rehabilitation information, and pregnancy-related information. When the call went out to the PHSI steering committee members for materials, ideas and suggestions began to pour in.

Assembling the CRV Kits
For more than 6 months, DFW FAST amassed hundreds of items for the kits. DEA supplied pamphlets related to drug awareness and prevention. Local hospitals provided emergency contact information, and faith-based community groups provided materials. Fox Network's America's Most Wanted provided decks of playing cards featuring Most Wanted Fugitives. Additional items—such as pencils, pens, magnets, coloring books with fire safety information, information on choking hazards for children, and immunization schedules—were also included.

In July, DFW FAST finalized the kit design, and a few weeks later had more than 900 CRV Kits ready for distribution.

Distributing the CRV Kits
Early on an October morning in 2006, DFW FAST Deputy Marshals and strike team officers from DPD, the Dallas County Sheriffs Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the HUD Office of Inspector General (OIG), DEA, Veterans Affairs OIG, and Social Security OIG, with the assistance of patrol officers from Drug Enforcement Special Agents, began knocking on doors in the public housing target areas.

The targeted neighborhoods, Rhoades Terrace and Turner Courts, are located between the Weed and Seed sites of South Dallas and Pleasant Grove. Most officers that morning were not surprised when many residents did not answer their doors. Some residents were actually seen leaving the area rapidly. But, one by one, doors began to open. It was not long before the entire complex understood that law enforcement was not there to put people in jail, or break down doors, but to give something to the residents. With each CRV Kit they handed out, responses became more and more positive.

As DFW FAST left one complex, a tenant waved her CRV Kit in the air and shouted, "We love you guys. Thank you!"

Over the next 2 weeks, DFW FAST continued to distribute the CRV Kits in additional target areas around Dallas and Fort Worth. As PHSI and Operation J.U.S.T.I.C.E. near completion in late 2007, DFW FAST will return to the same complexes and distribute additional CRV Kits to the new tenants. Although the kits may not have reduced crime in the area, they did help create an environment that enables law enforcement authorities to establish more positive relationships moving forward.

For more information, contact:
Trent Touchstone
Supervisory Deputy Marshal
U.S. Marshals Service
trent.touchstone@usdoj.gov

Get Out of the Game: Stop Killing People
By Colleen Copple, CCDO Consultant

Baltimore newspapers are buzzing about the "Get Out of the Game" project that the Baltimore Police Department is taking to some of the city's most drug-involved areas.

Get Out of the Game is a partnership between the police department and a handful of service providers—people who are committed to tackling the city's toughest cases. Officers wearing black T-shirts with "Get Out of the Game" written across the front and "Stop the Killing" written across the back engage drug dealers and drug addicts like street-corner missionaries. The idea is to offer options—drug treatment, a high school education, housing, and job placement—for ex-offenders through the STRIVE Baltimore program.

STRIVE is a nonprofit job training and placement agency that specializes in assisting individuals who have trouble gaining employment. Introduced in East Harlem, NY, in 1985, the agency has branches in 20 cities across the United States and a branch in London, England. Its core curriculum is a 1-month job readiness program that emphasizes the soft skills necessary to obtain employment, including accountability, responsibility, and personal growth. Following this course, participants are monitored for at least 2 years. STRIVE has trained more than 2,000 Maryland residents since it came to Baltimore in 1998.

Through Get Out of the Game, police encourage hardcore drug offenders to change their lives. They do not make their agenda obvious and are careful to let people save face on the street. Officers simply leave their business cards and tell the offenders that they can call for help when they are ready.

Baltimore has good reason to be concerned about the violent crime associated with drugs; statistics reveal that the city has between 200 and 300 homicides per year. The recidivism rate for ex-offenders statewide is about 50 percent, and more than half of all criminals released annually from Maryland prisons return to areas with Baltimore ZIP Codes.

That's why Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm came up with the program. Having spent many years on Baltimore's streets as a beat cop, he believes there is hope for each drug addict. Frontline cops such as Keith Harrison, recently named the Baltimore Sun's Police Officer of the Year, are deeply committed to spreading the gospel of change at the epicenter of Maryland's drug-and-crime problem. They've engaged hundreds of men and women since the program began in 2005, referring drug dealers, addicts, and other ex-offenders to agencies that can help them get clean and get straight.

The work isn't about arrests; it's about rescuing people, saving lives, and breaking the cycle of crime and drugs. One way officers accomplish these goals is by distributing leaflets that give information on a new 24-hour hotline that offers "an alternative to a life of crime and regret."

"Are you afraid to leave home without your weapon?" one leaflet asks. "Is your supplier threatening to cut you off and up? Do you spend more time with your lawyer than your family? Does your family ask you to stay away from them?" An affirmative answer to any of those questions, the leaflet states, means it's time to find a new career.

Sometimes officers approach groups of young men; sometimes they take a one-on-one approach. Sometimes they get a positive reaction, and sometimes they get a grunt. Sometimes a young man will show no interest in the offer but will call one of the officers as soon as an hour, or a day, later.

Get Out of the Game's target is the chronically at-risk 14- to 24-year-old male, but officers in the unit offer services to older men and women, too.

"Selling drugs is all about survival for a lot of these guys," said Major Rick Hite. "We want to dismantle the idea that it's their only means of survival."

For more information, contact:
Officer Robert Horne
Community Affairs Division
Baltimore Police Department
robert.horne@baltimorepolice.org
410-396-2372

Resources

Protecting Children From Internet Crime
The Project Safe Childhood Web Site provides information to help federal, state, and local law enforcement officials investigate and prosecute Internet crimes against children. In addition to other resources, the Web site includes guidelines for law enforcement and other partners on how to implement the Project Safe Childhood initiative.
View it on the Web: http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov

Investigating Electronic Crime
Investigations Involving the Internet and Computer Networks presents information for individuals who are responsible for computer network- and Internet-based investigations. Criminals may use the Internet for numerous reasons, including trading and sharing information, concealing their identities, and gathering information on victims. This NIJ Special Report is among a series of guides on investigating electronic crime.
View it on the Web: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/210798.htm

Fighting Clandestine Meth Labs
Clandestine Methamphetamine Labs, 2nd Edition addresses the national problem of clandestine methamphetamine labs. The guide provides a general overview of the problem and of responses to it. It reviews the factors that increase risk and identifies questions to help local governments analyze their local problem.
View it on the Web: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=274

Analyzing Methamphetamine Trends
Pushing Back Against Meth: A Progress Report on the Fight Against Methamphetamine in the United States highlights a nationwide drop in methamphetamine laboratory incidents discovered through surveys of all 50 states. It compares state laws to the federal standard, attempts to measure the impact of various state laws, and notes changes in positive drug tests for amphetamines in the workplace.
View it on the Web: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/pdf/pushingback_against_meth.pdf

Community Policing

Community and Interagency Partnerships Reduce Crime in North Carolina
By Chief Tandy Carter, Shelby Police Department

Current data show that the crime index in 2006 was down 20 percent from the previous year, which means Shelby has 376 fewer crimes today than in 2005. Violent crime has declined 26 percent in 4 years, with 2006 marking an 8-percent drop, and property crime is down 21 percent.

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.

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:

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
tandy.carter@cityofshelby.com
jeff.ledford@cityofshelby.com

New York Community Unites To Address Youth Gang Issues
By Gene Allen, Weed and Seed Coordinator

Like many communities, Utica, NY, faces an emerging gang problem, with law enforcement, the school system, and other organizations each fighting gangs on their own separate turf. As happens with many communities, it took tragedy to bring Utica's disparate agencies and organizations together to develop a long-term plan to stop gang violence.

On December 8, 2006, 15-year-old Sang Vu, a Thomas R. Proctor Senior High School student, was severely beaten in what police described as a "beat-in," a gang initiation ritual. He died 24 hours later. The following week, Utica Fifth District Councilman Bill Phillips convened a meeting of the Utica Board of Education and Common Council, largely in response to Vu's death. The meeting ended with city and school district officials pledging to work together to combat youth gangs and violence. At a second combined meeting in January 2007, the initiative quickly acquired a name: the Youth Concerns Task Force.

During that first meeting, attendees realized that current efforts to reduce gang violence simply were not adequate. Board member D. Victor Pellegrino said Vu's death indicated that city agencies were not doing enough to prevent the city's youth from forming gangs. "You can't have these four entities—the city, the school district, the District Attorney's Office, the police—each doing their own thing, because that didn't stop a 15-year-old from being killed," he said.

This was not the city's first gang-related incident; other incidents involved shootings. With each outbreak of gang violence, the community responded with understandable anger and calls to action. With each occurrence, these responses were well-intentioned, but for one reason or another they eventually lost momentum.

The Vu incident was different, however—it was the first act of serious violence that was the direct result of gang activity. Likewise, this new initiative is different. For the first time, an anti-gang initiative represented a convergence of the main players who have a stake in making youth and the end of youth violence a community priority, and because the players are in positions of leadership, they can ensure that key issues are addressed. Sitting at the same table with the School Board and Common Council members are department heads from the city, county, and state as well as residents, community leaders, representatives of nonprofit organizations, and law enforcement officials, including probation and parole officers.

Utica Board of Education member Margaret Buckley noted that some city agencies can be territorial and prefer to work on their own. That's not going to solve the problem, she said. "We're all going to have to get along—like it or not," Buckley added.

As a result of the two meetings, the Youth Concerns Task Force is briskly moving forward by assigning tasks and defining action steps. One assignment for the next meeting is to inventory programs and services that are available in the community so the task force can determine what is being done and how to allocate resources more effectively.

Initial assessments suggest that many agencies in the area already provide informational and prevention programs and counseling services for families and youth. Many of these providers do not recognize that they are already involved in a form of gang intervention. Identifying these services is valuable because it reassures task force members that they do not have to reinvent the wheel in their fight against gang violence—they just need to connect the spokes.

The city's law enforcement officials applaud this task force and are eager to participate. Anti-gang initiatives have been a central part of law enforcement's strategy for at least 3 years. In 2005, CCDO invited the Utica Weed and Seed site to apply for a one-time award of up to $80,000 in grant funds to support the Weed and Seed special emphasis anti-gang crime strategy. Using these funds in combination with other funding sources, Utica developed an initiative to provide approximately 500 hours of extra patrols and surveillance specifically targeted for areas of suspected organized narcotic activity within the Weed and Seed site, including surveillance of known or suspected gang leaders. These efforts have had their successes—in 2005, the effort effectively shut down Brick Money, one of Utica's most notorious gangs.

Law enforcement can also provide a model of effective communication among the partners. Law enforcement in the Utica area is already working cooperatively through Weed and Seed and Project Impact, according to Rob Palmieri, Deputy Public Safety Commissioner. Project Impact is a New York State antidrug and antiviolence initiative used for drug enforcement operations that includes monitoring gangs across jurisdictional boundaries. The District Attorney's Office, Sheriff's Department, State Police, Department of Corrections, New Hartford Town Police, and Utica Police Department have established a system for gathering and sharing data on known and suspected gang members.

"Criminals don't have boundaries," said Palmieri. "Neither should we. What happens in Utica, New Hartford, and the county affects us all." Palmieri has arranged for Marilyn Skermont, Superintendent of Schools, to attend the next Project Impact meeting. "Law enforcement has been working together," said Palmieri. "Now it is time to start collaborating more with the community, and the schools are a big part of that."

Note: Utica's Youth Concerns Task Force is looking for best practices and success stories regarding gang prevention and intervention. Please share your experience with fighting gangs in your community with Gene A. Allen (gallen@unhs.org).

For more information, contact:
Gene A. Allen
Communications Manager/Weed and Seed Coordinator
gallen@unhs.org

Resources

Addressing Street Prostitution
Street Prostitution, 2nd Edition focuses on the problem of female street prostitutes and provides practitioners with information regarding prostitutes, their clients, and pimps and panderers. It also explains the transaction and the environment associated with the problem, and describes links between prostitution and drugs.
View it on the Web: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=285

Collaborating Toward Successful Interoperable Communications
Law Enforcement Tech Guide for Communications Interoperability: A Guide for Interagency Communications Projects provides strategies, best practices, and recommendations for public safety agencies that are seeking to develop or are already engaged in interagency communications projects. It explores current and emerging technologies in voice and data communications and provides planning tools to help achieve interoperable communication initiatives.
View it on the Web: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=1942

Exploring Crime and Safety in Schools
Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2006 presents data on crime and safety in schools from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population. The annual report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school.
View it on the Web: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs06.htm

Examining Intimate Partner Violence
Intimate Partner Violence examines fatal and nonfatal acts of violence committed by intimates—current or former spouses, girlfriends, or boyfriends—since the National Crime Victimization Survey was redesigned in 1993.
View it on the Web: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/intimate/ipv.htm

Surveying Criminal Victimization
Criminal Victimization in the United States—Statistical Tables presents 110 tables with detailed data on major variables measured by the National Crime Victimization Survey. Topics include theft and violent crimes, with data on victim and crime characteristics, victim-offender relationship, victims' perceptions of substance use by offenders and of offender characteristics, whether crimes were reported to the police and reasons why or why not, and police response time for reported crimes.
View it on the Web: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/cvusst.htm

Preventing Identity Theft, The Nation's Fastest Growing Crime
On May 10, 2006, the President established the Identity Theft Task Force (http://www.IDTheft.gov), which among other things considers steps agencies should take when responding to a data security breach that poses subsequent identity theft risk. According to a bulletin from the Bureau of Justice Statistics—Identity Theft, 2004 (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/it04.htm)—an estimated 2.6 million households were affected by identity theft during a 6-month period in 2004. The Identity Theft Resource Center (http://www.idtheftcenter.org/index.shtml) defines identity theft as "a crime in which an imposter obtains key pieces of information such as Social Security and driver's license numbers and uses them for their own personal gain." Identity Theft is an evolving crime that has surfaced rapidly, and Weed and Seed community members should be aware of resources and prevention methods available to them.

Prevention

Youth-Led Movement Works To Create Crime- and Drug-Free Environments

In October, Chiara Perkins, President of the Walton High School Youth Crime Watch (YCW), shared her experiences with national policymakers at the White House School Safety Summit.

In fact, Perkins, a junior at Walton High School in De Funiak Springs, FL, was the only student invited to participate on the Crime Prevention and Preparedness Panel, where she answered a question from President Bush and stressed the importance of youth and adults working as partners to make schools safe. She also met the President and sat with First Lady Bush and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for a portion of the proceedings.

Perkins is an example of the caliber of youth leadership that the nonprofit organization Youth Crime Watch of America (YCWA) strives for in hundreds of YCW programs throughout the United States and abroad. YCWA promotes leadership skills development, self-esteem, positive role models, and community building. Its main goals are to—

The YCW model, partly adapted from adult Neighborhood Watch programs, calls for a core group of youth leaders to assess the major issues and problems facing their school or community, select the YCW components they will use to solve these problems, and collaborate with community institutions to implement these components. The key strengths of this model include the simplicity of its basic concept—to move quickly to create positive change—and, most important, youth ownership of the program.

YCWA—which is sponsored in part by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs (OJP), U.S. Department of Justice—is currently undergoing a 4-year OJP impact study in middle and high schools. Interim results indicate that more than 90 percent of the program's advisors would start the program if they changed to a new location. Approximately 72 percent of the more than 700 youth interviewed said YCW improved safety in their school. Close to 33 percent indicated that they thought their YCW program reduced the number of crimes, amount of disorder, and number of students hanging out in hallways or bathrooms during class.

These preliminary findings agree with anecdotal evidence that YCWA has collected in its 20 years of establishing programs in local high schools and middle schools. YCW programs can significantly improve perceptions of safety in schools, create positive bonds between youth and community members and institutions, and encourage positive youth involvement in the community.

The Winston-Salem Housing Authority in North Carolina has 4 YCW sites with approximately 100 youth members. These sites were developed to be an integral part of the city's overall Weed and Seed strategy. To add to the program's visibility, youth receive special t-shirts whenever they participate in a service project. One innovative and highly enjoyable program developed by the Winston-Salem YCW is its summer basketball camp, which combines crime prevention seminars with plenty of basketball and other fun activities.

In Wetumpka, AL, the District Attorney's Office sponsored a YCW program 4 years ago under the leadership of Probation Officer Paul Griffin. Today, the 80 youth in YCW and their advisor, Sgt. Tyrone White of the Wetumpka Senior High School ROTC Program, conduct patrols and report suspected crimes and drug use. These activities have resulted in 6 drug busts, generating 12 criminal cases. Drug use is down 70 percent. According to Wetumpka YCW President Jimmel Cox, smoking in bathrooms has decreased by 25 percent in the past year and by 75 percent over the first 3 years of the program. Officials have also noticed a reduction in gang activity and a complete disappearance of graffiti.

In Ross County—the second poorest county in Ohio—the Chillocothe Metropolitan Housing Authority YCW has seen membership increase in recent years from a core group of 7 to more than 50 youth members, half of whom come from public housing. The group has a strong relationship with the public schools and emphasizes the importance of a good education. One example of this emphasis is that members are not allowed to attend regular YCW meetings unless they have completed their homework. The group has built shelters for public bus stops in the city, conducts regular food drives in partnership with UPS and FedEx, and recently raised $81,000 in 3 weeks to help the city retain a public swimming pool.

In Providence, RI—an area of heavy gang activity—Bridgham Middle School's YCW group held a rally to raise awareness of and funds for a local domestic violence shelter and to educate community members about domestic violence.

YCWA recently hosted its 18th Annual National Youth Crime Prevention Conference and International Forum, a 4-day conference focusing on the practices and skills needed to develop successful youth crime prevention initiatives. It has become the premier anticrime training conference for youth and adults in the United States and attracts more than 1,600 crime prevention advocates each year.

For more information, contact:
Youth Crime Watch of America
9200 South Dadeland Boulevard, Suite 417
Miami, FL 33156
http://www.ycwa.org

Youth Leaders Advocate for Change in the Nation's Capital
By Johnnie Hawkins, Consultant, Center for Neighborhood Enterprise

On January 11–14, 2007, 50 young leaders from throughout the country visited Washington, DC, to attend the Third Annual Youth Leadership Council. The highlight of the 4-day event was a series of visits to the U.S. Capitol to meet with the youth leaders' elected Senators and Representatives to present reports on problems in their communities and to suggest solutions.

Sponsored by CCDO and the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise (CNE), this 4-day event offered training seminars and exercises to hone attendees' leadership development and presentation skills. The youth leaders also planned, developed, and strengthened their key goals for improving their communities. These goals include increasing youth involvement in local and national Weed and Seed strategies, serving as peer mentors and community advocates, and assessing critical problem behaviors and risk factors in their communities and developing solutions to them.

This event marked the fourth year that CNE has partnered with CCDO to provide youth leadership development activities for the Weed and Seed strategy. CNE was selected by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2003 to help build the capacities of grassroots organizations in Weed and Seed areas and to create a youth leadership development initiative.

CNE formally launched its Youth Initiative in June 2004 with the first Weed and Seed Youth Leadership Summer Camp in Snowbird, a resort area near Salt Lake City, UT. Since then, CNE has hosted Summer Youth Leadership Camps annually, with 76 youth attending the 2006 camp in Phoenix, AZ.

Site coordinators of local Weed and Seed communities recruit young people for the Youth Leadership Council each year, paying particular attention to each individual's level of activity and leadership within their Weed and Seed sites and their communities. Once selected, the youth's trip to Washington, DC, is paid for by their Weed and Seed site, community businesses or organizations, and other sponsors. Among the attendees are the council's officers, who were elected at the previous year's camp; subcommittee members, consisting of volunteers among the Youth Leadership Council attendees; other interested youth leaders; and chaperones. The summer camp is open to any youth who is active in his or her Weed and Seed site.

At each camp, youth participate in activities that teach them how to identify problems within their communities, create solutions to negative conditions, and motivate their peers to help them improve those conditions. In addition, youth begin learning the skills of leadership, civic engagement, and community assessment and principles associated with creating a quality living environment for themselves and their peers.

Several local initiatives have sprung from the leadership of youth who are participating in the Youth Initiative:

In summer 2007, CNE will conduct the Fourth Annual Weed and Seed Youth Leadership Camp in Florida, tentatively scheduled for July 22–29 near Walt Disney World.

For more information about the CNE-CCDO Youth Initiative, contact:
Charles L. Perry or Ruth Cleveland
Center for Neighborhood Enterprise
Cperry@cneonline.org
RCleveland@cneonline.org

For information about the Youth Council, contact:
Johnnie Hawkins
Consultant, Center for Neighborhood Enterprise
JHawkGroup@aol.com

Resources

Service Learning Manual Focuses on Juvenile Offenders
Recently updated and revised by the Constitutional Rights Foundation (http://www.crf-usa.org) and the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago (http://www.crfc.org), Giving Back: Introducing Community Service Learning helps juvenile justice professionals apply school-based, service-learning principles, goals, and methods to court-mandated community service. It provides skill-building strategies and materials to introduce juvenile offenders to fundamental concepts of community and community problems.
View it on the Web: http://www.crf-usa.org/YouthCourt/Giving_Back_2006.pdf

Treating Youth With Mental Health Needs
Blueprint for Change: A Comprehensive Model for the Identification and Treatment of Youth with Mental Health Needs in Contact with the Juvenile Justice System provides a practical framework for developing policies and programs aimed at improving mental health services for youth in the juvenile justice system. It sets the highest goals for systems to work towards, summarizing what is known about the best way to identify and treat mental disorders among youth in the juvenile justice system, and offering recommendations, guidelines, and examples for how best to do this.
View it on the Web: http://www.ncmhjj.com/Blueprint/default.shtml

Engaging Youth Mentors
Recruiting Mentors in Out-of-School Time Programs: What's Involved? summarizes suggested steps for programs to use when recruiting mentors to aid youth in out-of-school programs. The brief also recommends resources for use during the recruitment process.
View it on the Web: http://65.242.47.55/files/child_trends-2007_01_22_rb_recruitmentors.pdf

Neighborhood Restoration

Northside Community VITA Program Is a Success
By Don Wedd, Member Services Manager, National Community Tax Coalition

Why would CCDO fund free tax preparation? Why would a retired 33-year veteran of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) take a modest stipend to work at a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) center? How could five volunteers run a free tax preparation site for the whole season? The Northside Community Weed and Seed site in Birmingham, AL, discovered the answers in 2006—the first tax filing season in which they established a VITA center.

Getting Started
Northside Community Weed and Seed was officially recognized as a Weed and Seed site in January 2002, receiving $225,000 in grant funds from DOJ the next year. The Northside Community consists of the Central City, Druid Hills, and Norwood neighborhoods and is home to approximately 10,300 residents and 4,300 households.

The Weed and Seed strategy involves a two-pronged approach: law enforcement agencies and prosecutors cooperate to "weed out" violent criminals and drug abusers, and public agencies and community-based private organizations collaborate to "seed" much-needed human services into the area, including prevention, intervention, treatment, and neighborhood restoration programs. A community oriented policing component bridges the weeding and seeding elements.

Northside Community Weed and Seed's venture into free tax preparation was the result of a partnership between DOJ and the IRS in which numerous Weed and Seed programs were selected to become part of the VITA center program. DOJ provided hardware, software, and technical assistance, and the IRS provided training on TaxWise software.

Terrie Lee-Burrell, Director of Northside Community Weed and Seed, could tell that there was real need for a free tax preparation service—ads for refund-anticipation loans peppered every corner.

During its first year, 2006, the VITA program's goal was to prepare 100 tax returns. It had no funding, no experience, and no staff. Lee-Burrell learned by trial and error, with advice from the local IRS's Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC) office. She recruited 5 volunteer tax preparers from a local bank and college and from the Community Action Agency. Local residents volunteered as greeters, answered the phones, and scheduled appointments.

In no time at all, these VITA volunteers were overwhelmed. The city of Birmingham distributed fliers about the VITA program to all 99 neighborhoods in the city, not just the 3 that the VITA program covered. The phone would not stop ringing. People from all over the city wanted to know about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), about the VITA program and whether it was really free, and whether they would take appointments.

Yes, they did schedule appointments, but they would also take walk-ins if a tax preparer was free. The service was open for 3 days during daytime hours, and in the evening for another day. Yes, it was free indeed.

Lee-Burrell soon realized they did not have enough volunteers to staff the site for all those hours. The volunteers persevered to the end of the season, however, and they completed 115 federal returns. In addition, they opened 15 bank accounts onsite and held 2 financial education classes. All 5 volunteers returned in 2007.

What made the effort worthwhile, according to Lee-Burrell, were the clients. Ninety percent were single parents, and 85 percent rented. For many of them, this was the first time anyone had suggested that their tax refund could be the basis for changing their economic circumstances rather than just a temporary windfall. Volunteers took the opportunity to counsel people on home ownership; to encourage them to open Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), a type of savings account designed specifically for saving money to buy a home and matched in part by government funds; and to educate them on other possibilities. Many of those people are repeat customers in 2007.

"We're really treating the whole person, really building an economic asset," Lee-Burrell said. "Owning your own home is a possibility, and we can show you how."

Lessons Learned
What advice would Lee-Burrell offer a new VITA center, now that she has been through the startup herself? Plan a year in advance. Make sure you have volunteers who are well trained, who understand the scope of program, and who know the other services the program offers. Write up job descriptions for volunteers, and have them sign volunteer agreements. Make sure you have enough people to cover the center every day of the tax filing season. Get the Form 8453s (signatures for electronic filing) to the IRS on time, and make sure they are signed. And make sure there is a play space for children at the site.

The tax site is one of the safe havens of the Northside Community Weed and Seed program, helping connect taxpayers with other Weed and Seed programs. When you are assisting people in restoring their financial situation and building their personal assets, you are accomplishing the seed aspect of the Weed and Seed strategy.

Lee-Burrell recalled an older couple who had their taxes prepared last year. They had always paid $250 to file their tax returns at a commercial preparer. They talked about the things they could do with their refund, how they would split it, and how they would save money. In the past, they used refund-anticipation loans, did not understand what the fees were for, and were just happy to get a refund. Now they don't mind waiting 10 days to get a direct deposit of their refund without paying any fees. This year, when the site was closed for several days due to a lack of heat, the couple called each day to ask when it would reopen and turned up with their paperwork as soon as it did.

Easier the Second Time
This year is off to a good start, with some free media. Not only did the same five volunteers come back, but the program obtained some funding that it split among two seasonal staff. Eva Carter, a retired dean of business at Lawson State Community College, has worked in the VITA program, which began about 30 years ago, for 25 years, and is now the site manager. Carolyn Hatcher, the quality reviewer, is a retired IRS employee. Both say they still get excited when a client walks in.

One such client was a young woman who received a $5,600 refund last year. The single mother had rented her home for 10 years as a single parent, and never considered home ownership. After Lee-Burrell referred her to the Community Action Agency for home ownership counseling, she learned about IDAs and started to dream about owning her own home.

This article was reprinted with minor revisions, with permission from the National Community Tax Coalition. To view the original article, visit http://www.tax-coalition.org/affiliatesprogramprofilesbirmingham.cfm.

For more information, contact:
National Community Tax Coalition
http://www.tax-coalition.org

Racine Launches IDA Homeownership Program
By Colleen Copple, CCDO Consultant

Imagine what could happen to your Weed and Seed community if you helped 50 low-income families in the same neighborhood own a home. A Weed and Seed site in Wisconsin imagined the potential of this asset-building strategy and is working to make it a reality.

The Weed and Seed site in Racine, WI, recently launched its Individual Development Account (IDA) Homeownership Program to nurture home ownership in the community and reap the benefits of individual asset building. The program is designed to help 51 Racine Weed and Seed families establish IDA accounts—savings accounts created exclusively for saving money to buy a home. The benefit of an IDA account over a standard savings account is that Racine is putting $104,000 of city revenue into the project to match the amount of money saved by participants—up to $2,000 per person.

Mayor Gary Becker announced the good news at a press conference in November, where he pointed out why the program makes sense. "The ultimate goal is to strengthen the neighborhoods. The question is, as a city, why do we care? Why do we want to support a program like this? It creates better neighborhoods and a better community."

Home ownership is considered the most important asset-building strategy for individuals, and it has positive effects on families and communities. Building assets increases household economic stability and lowers marital stress, encourages the attainment of education, increases property values and property maintenance, reduces neighborhood transience, and increases local civic involvement. These are all elements that help families stay together, lead communities to prosper, and reduce crime.

The Racine Weed and Seed site is 1 of 17 pilot sites launched in 2006. Nevertheless, Racine's approach to providing the IDA match is somewhat unique. Historically, the city has dedicated a set amount of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) dollars to a Housing Rehabilitation Loan program. Over time, the interest and payments from the recipients have built a nest egg that the city is using to provide local matching funds for the IDA program.

Last year, CCDO entered into a partnership with the Office of Community Services (OCS) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to build the capacity of Weed and Seed sites to develop IDA home ownership programs. Through OCS's Assets for Independence (AFI) program, IDA programs can receive federal matching funds of up to $2,000 in savings per individual or $4,000 per family. The IDA program must raise local dollars to at least equal the federal match. Some programs match at a rate higher than 2 to 1, depending on the housing market and the cost of purchasing a home in the neighborhood. After local matching funds are secured, the IDA program recruits participants and manages the savings accounts and matching funds. Down payments and closing costs are paid directly to the title and mortgage companies on behalf of the IDA participants.

OCS also plans to study these sites as a demonstration project that will evaluate home ownership as a strategy for stabilizing high-risk neighborhoods. The evaluation will also help determine whether this approach can reduce crime and improve the quality of life in Weed and Seed sites.

In 2006, CCDO provided the sites with technical assistance to help them design and build an infrastructure for their IDA programs so that they were ready to hit the ground running when they applied for and were awarded AFI funding.

The Racine Safe Neighborhood Alliance, which is the Weed and Seed host agency, will administer the program. Under Racine's IDA program, Weed and Seed residents must participate in a 6-month home buyer training program that includes financial literacy training before they can buy homes. In addition, home buyers will receive ongoing post-purchase support from the alliance to ensure that they remain successful homeowners.

Weed and Seed steering committees have been actively involved in the IDA demonstration sites. "Ownership is really a pride issue, and if we can encourage that and turn the neighborhoods around, that would be to the betterment of the community," said Jack Butgereit, a member of Racine's Weed and Seed steering committee.

For more information, contact:
Tanya Canady
262-636-9596

VITA Site Tests Refund-Anticipation Loan Program
By Colleen Copple, CCDO Consultant

Each year, many low-income families are duped by tax preparation companies that advertise loan programs using anticipated tax refunds as collateral. The ads begin well before tax season—in November and December—but the consumers who take out these refund-anticipation loans often are unaware of the preparation fees and high-interest rates they will pay. In New Hampshire, the Manchester Community Resource Center (MCRC) has found a reasonable alternative to such loans.

MCRC is offering the Reduced-cost Emergency Anticipation Loan Option (REAL Option). Although it may sound like another shady loan, this program is actually an effort to attract low-income people in financial crisis and educate them about options.

"The high demand for the refund-anticipation loans motivated the MCRC site to pilot this program," said Torey Kortz, Program Director. "We can reach a population we're not able to reach otherwise."

Commercial refund-anticipation loans can cause more harm than good, explained Joy Barrett, Coordinator of the Greater Nashua Asset Building Coalition. With fees for tax services and interest for a refund-anticipation loan, taxpayers often end up receiving only about $600 out of a $1,000 refund. Kortz added that low-income taxpayers can save $100 to $200 simply by going to a free tax preparation site rather than a paid preparer.

As a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) center, MCRC offers free tax preparation to community residents and encourages low-income residents to use the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credits. Last year, MCRC's VITA center processed over 474 returns worth more than $600,000 in tax credits and refunds to residents. Nationally, 50 Weed and Seed sites processed over 11,000 returns worth more than $15 million in refunds and tax credits for Weed and Seed residents.

MCRC is the only VITA site in the nation to offer refund-anticipation loans. Through its pilot loan program, the MCRC VITA center can have a cashier's check for a taxpayer in 1 to 3 days or the loan can be deposited directly into a preexisting bank account, such as an Individual Development Account (IDA), a form of savings account. Right now, the bank fee is $33 to borrow up to $1,000 against a refund and $79 to borrow up to $2,000. If taxpayers can wait 2 weeks, they may receive their full refund directly from the IRS and avoid loan fees and interest.

The goal of the project is to educate taxpayers about the actual cost of a refund loan, offer financial counseling, and save the taxpayer from paying fees charged by commercial preparers. As a result, REAL Option offers other solutions to taxpayer's financial difficulties, such as taking only a portion of their refund as a loan to decrease fees and setting up an IDA. The program also offers financial education classes for taxpayers who want to learn how to avoid a financial crisis next year.

"We're not going to hard sell it," Kortz said. "Paid preparers have incentives to push loans, not to teach clients to save money by waiting 4 or 6 more days for direct deposit of their refund."

For next year, MCRC plans to negotiate a flat fee—for all loans regardless of the amount—with the REAL Option partner, Chase Bank. MCRC also plans to enhance its electronic filing services. E-filing provides a more accurate and secure means of processing the tax return and a faster refund—in just 10 to 14 days if taxpayers have their refunds deposited directly into their bank accounts. MCRC also is pilot testing a new software package from USA Tax Systems, which donated the software to support the REAL Option project.

REAL Option also gives volunteers and counselors a chance to educate people about the EITC. "In some cases, people think they don't earn enough to file a return," said IRS Senior Tax Specialist Gregg Woodes, "but they may be eligible for up to $4,536 in credit if they have children and earn less than $38,536 from a job. [It's] not public assistance."

For more information, contact:
Torey Kortz
Program Director, Manchester Community Resource Center
603-647-8967

Resources

Identifying Meth Labs
The National Clandestine Laboratory Register, a public service of the Drug Enforcement Administration (http://www.dea.gov), logs locations in each state where known clandestine methamphetamine labs or dumpsites were located, facilitating public awareness of possible contaminated sites within local communities. This is the first such national list of seized former methamphetamine sites available to the public.
View it on the Web: http://www.dea.gov/seizures/index.html

Reentry

ReEntry Court Shows Dramatic Results

The Allen County ReEntry Court in Fort Wayne, IN, has made a remarkable impact on the area's recidivism rate, and it has done so by leveraging existing resources without requiring grant funds. The key to this program's success has been a combination of close supervision and adequate preparation of the inmates during the reentry period.

According to a recently released evaluation covering the years 2001–2005, the Allen County ReEntry Court reduced the expected number of crimes committed by ex-offenders by 58 percent and the expected costs to the community by 78 percent, from $6.7 million to $1.6 million. These dramatic results were documented in two studies conducted by David Lombard, Director of the Fort Wayne-based Center for Applied Behavioral Studies.

The ReEntry Court is a voluntary 12-month program in which inmates agree to close supervision in return for early release and assistance with issues that could lead them to reoffend. These issues include a lack of adequate education or job skills training, drug and alcohol addiction and a lack of transportation. The supervision level starts high, with electronic monitoring for the first 3 to 6 months of their reentry, and decreases as the individual progresses through the program.

Launched in 2001, the Allen County Community Corrections ReEntry Initiative was created after Indiana legislators passed legislation that called for each county to establish a reentry program. Called the Community Transition Statute, this law authorized the Department of Corrections (DOC) to release eligible inmates to supervised local reentry programs up to 180 days prior to their scheduled release date. In addition, DOC would continue to pay the county a per diem cost to supervise these individuals during their reentry period. This funding source, offender reimbursements, and community service work cover the cost of the ReEntry Court and the range of services provided for returning offenders.

Inmates begin the program a month before they are eligible for early release. DOC contacts Allen County Community Corrections, which screens individuals for eligibility and notifies eligible inmates by mail. Inmates who want to participate must complete paperwork that states that they accept the conditions of the program and indicates where they expect to live when they are released. Once this information is confirmed—especially confirming the proposed residence and reviewing the reentry terms with the people living there—the individual is released to the custody of Allen County.

When the individual arrives in Allen County, court staff conduct a forensic assessment of each individual to determine his or her needs and develop a reintegration plan based on this assessment. The ReEntry Court judge then meets with the inmate to review the reintegration plan and the reentry process. After the judge imposes the reintegration plan, the individual must appear before that judge every 2 to 5 weeks, where his or her progress will be reviewed.

Throughout the process, the reentry team reviews the participant's progress. The reentry team includes representatives of Allen County Community Corrections, the special courts coordinator, case managers, a forensic specialist, a mental health therapist, probation officers, a victim services coordinator and assistant, a family/victim investigator, a district parole supervisor, and other representatives as needed. Throughout the program, a series of rewards and penalties are assessed depending on the success or failure of the individual in complying with the terms of the reintegration plan. Positive progress can result in a reduction of time under electronic monitoring. Conversely, continued wrong behavior or noncompliance can result in a number of sanctions, including extension of electronic monitoring and, ultimately, a return to incarceration.

Meanwhile, participants benefit from programs and assistance that help them with the reentry process. For instance, they might be able to join GED classes and other educational programs through local postsecondary institutions; attend preemployment training; receive sex offender intervention and treatment; attend violence intervention, crisis intervention, and substance abuse treatment programs; receive assistance with reinstatement of a driver's license; and gain access to victim/offender conferencing.

Faith-based organizations also are helping to build support systems for ex-offenders' reentry into the community. For example, Unity Christ Church developed the Unity of Love Family Reconnect Program, which focuses on reintegrating returning offenders into their families. The program also provides mentoring, recreational activities, and transitional housing for returning offenders.

To learn more about the Allen County ReEntry Initiative, view The Four Essential Elements of Effective ReEntry at http://www.ncjrs.gov/ccdo/in-sites/fourelements.pdf (PDF 856 kb).

For more information, contact:
Judge John Surbeck
Allen Superior Court, Criminal Division
jsurbeck1@earthlink.net
260-449-7583

Sheila Hudson
Allen County Community Corrections
sheila.hudson@co.allen.in.us
260-449-4573

Central City Reentry: A Crime Reduction Strategy
By Raymond Simmons, Chief of Police, Humboldt, TN

The definition of insanity, as the saying goes, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. This saying could apply to the typical reentry approach—according to national statistics, 66 percent of ex-offenders released from jail or prison without any support system will reoffend and end up back in the system within 3 years.

This revolving door—and the resulting crime—was deemed unacceptable in Humboldt, TN, so the city launched a new reentry program that provided a support system to keep ex-offenders out of jail. It seems to be working.

Located in the Western District of Tennessee about 80 miles north of Memphis, Humboldt has a population of about 10,000 and is small enough that the direct effects of high recidivism among ex-offenders are easily seen. Those who have been released from prison more than likely will return to where they lived before they served time. In most cases, they were born in that neighborhood, went to school there, have family there, and do not plan to leave. When an individual reoffends, he or she will most likely do so in the old neighborhood.

The Humboldt Police Department learned about reentry programs through Weed and Seed conferences and began looking at other cities that had such programs. In fall 2006, General Sessions Court Judge James Webb and Chief of Police Raymond Simmons visited Savannah, GA, to observe the remarkably successful Savannah Impact Program. Program Director Keith Vermillion explained lessons learned by the Savannah program and provided guidance on how Humboldt might start a similar program.

When Humboldt received grant renewal funds for its Central City Weed and Seed site in 2005, the police department initiated plans to launch a reentry program modeled after the Savannah program. It is based on the belief that the lack of an effective support system upon release from prison is a major reason people reoffend. If Humboldt could provide a strong support system, especially jobs, for even a portion of these people, then crime would be reduced.

The key elements of the program are

Mattie Hall, the program's part-time Reentry Coordinator, does most of the work in this new program, and has been doing so since she joined its staff in July.

The reentry process begins when Hall receives referrals from the Tennessee Department of Corrections, Gibson County Probation, judges, and even word of mouth. Hall meets with each person who is referred and creates a personalized assessment sheet on each individual. Through these assessments, she develops individual profiles of the ex-offenders—including any workforce skills and education they may have or need; whether they have a valid driver's license and access to transportation; any alcohol- or drug-related issues they may need to address; and whether they have adequate housing.

The program collaborates with a wide range of organizations that can help in each of these areas. If the issue is related to workforce training or a need for education, Hall determines the need (for example, the individual may need to obtain a GED), and she connects the individual with the Gibson County Literacy Council or the local technical school. If transportation is needed, she will locate it, help the individual obtain a driver's license, and she will even go to court if a license has been revoked due to unpaid fines. If the issue is drug or alcohol dependency, she will connect the individual with the appropriate support groups. Other collaborations Hall uses include partnerships with the Central City Weed and Seed, Tennessee Department of Corrections, Gibson County Circuit and General Sessions Courts, and Gibson County Juvenile Services.

While Hall is tackling each program participant's personal obstacles, she also collaborates with the Tennessee Department of Employment Security, Tennessee Workforce Development, private placement agencies, and an array of industrial and service businesses to find participants jobs. At present, more than 25 companies have hired ex-offenders who have participated in the program.

Initially, not many employers were willing to give ex-offenders the chance to prove themselves, but a handful of companies approached the program after hearing about it through the local media. Police department representatives spoke to civic organizations, such as the Humboldt Ministerial Alliance, and several potential employers came on board after hearing that the program is a crime reduction strategy. But Hall found most employers who have taken on program participants by going door to door and making cold calls. She routinely contacts industrial plants and businesses to inquire about job openings and the application process.

The program is already planning its next step toward effective reentry. Humboldt's Central City Weed and Seed site is working on a reentry program for juvenile offenders who are placed on intensive probation or returned from state custody.

So far, the program has been more successful than expected. The original goal was to help 20 ex-offenders find work. Since July 2006, Hall has placed approximately 60 individuals in new jobs. That means that 60 individuals now have a chance to become working, productive citizens and are less likely to commit crimes. Although it is still too early to analyze statistics and confirm the program's success, a program that keeps people out of jail must be headed in the right direction.

For more information, contact:
Chief Raymond Simmons
Humboldt Police Department
cheifr@click1.net

Resources

Implementing Reentry Strategies
Offender Reentry: A Police Perspective features a police department that has developed, implemented, and currently manages a reentry program. The video illustrates potentially transferable strategies and practices that law enforcement executives can use to implement or expand an offender reentry program in their jurisdiction.
View it on the Web: http://www.theiacp.org/documents/index.cfm?fuseaction=document&document_id=851

CSG Launches Interactive Reentry Housing Options Tool
The Council of State Governments (CSG) offers a Web-based tool to help users learn more about different reentry housing options available for individuals released from prison or jail. The chart compares housing types on several dimensions, including potential funding sources, level of availability in the community, typical length of stay, and potential barriers to accessing a particular option. It also offers descriptions of programs that have successfully housed ex-offenders and provides links to the program Web sites when available.
View it on the Web: http://tools.reentrypolicy.org/housing

Employing Individuals With Transitional Jobs
Transitional Jobs: A Workforce Strategy for Cities offers a framework for effectively serving individuals facing significant barriers to employment. Strategies to help individuals overcome these obstacles include providing time-limited, wage-paying jobs combined with skill-development activities and related support services. The report also presents lessons learned through local transitional jobs programs.
View it on the Web: http://reentrypolicy.org/reentry/ASP.Net/Components/AX.CMS.DocumentViewer/Download.aspx?DocumentID=1625

American Indian/Alaska Native

The War on Meth in Indian Country
By Kurt Lindblom, CCDO Consultant

Native Americans suffer a higher rate of methamphetamine (or meth) abuse than any other ethnic group—1.7 percent for American Indians/Alaska Natives and 2.2 percent for Native Hawaiians; and abuse rates have been seen as high as 30 percent in some rural reservation communities.

Fortunately, federal response to this crisis is gaining momentum. The call to arms came from National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) President Joe Garcia during his 2006 State of Indian Nations address. "Methamphetamine is a poison taking Indian lives, destroying Indian families, and razing entire communities," he said. "Overall, we must have increased manpower, realistic funding, and improved communication."

In April 2006, the Senate conducted a hearing on methamphetamine in Indian Country to analyze the problem and determine an appropriate response. The hearings revealed a harrowing story.

"In 2004, 64 babies out of 256 were born to San Carlos Apache Tribal members addicted to meth," said Kathleen Kitcheyan, Chairwoman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. "In 2005, the number of babies born addicted to meth was even higher. In routine urine drug screenings at the San Carlos emergency room in 2005, 25 percent of the patients tested positive for meth."

Largely as a result of these hearings, legislation was introduced in January 2007 that would provide the resources needed to fight meth abuse. The Native American Methamphetamine Enforcement and Treatment Act of 2007 and the Indian Tribes Methamphetamine Reduction Grants Act of 2007 would both amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. They ensure the eligibility of tribes to receive federal grants already available to states, including funds and access to programs that fight the manufacture, sale, and use of methamphetamine; help endangered children living in homes where meth is manufactured, distributed, dispensed, or used; and address methamphetamine use by pregnant and parenting female offenders.

On February 5, 2007, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne launched the Safe Indian Communities Initiative. "We cannot ignore this tragedy," he said. "We must help Indian Country remove this scourge from its midst. We will stop these peddlers of poison."

Budgeted at $16 million, the initiative will strengthen law enforcement capabilities on tribal lands to combat the methamphetamine epidemic in Indian Country. It will provide $11 million for criminal investigation, police services, and law enforcement projects. In particular, this initiative will add 51 more law enforcement officers in Indian Country, increase the number of officers trained to investigate drug crimes from 11 to 111, and provide robust public awareness campaigns to educate residents about the dangers of meth use within tribal communities. The remaining $5 million will be used to increase staff and train officers at the 78 Indian detention facilities, which will include adding 91 detention officers (an increase of 5 percent).

Perhaps the most encouraging development in recent years in the fight against meth abuse in Indian Country has been the increased level of cooperation by law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions and the convictions arising from this cooperation.

The collaboration in Wyoming included participation from federal, state, and local agencies, including:

  • Drug Enforcement Administration
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
  • Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
  • U.S. Attorney's Office
  • U.S. Marshals Service
  • Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation
  • Wyoming Highway Patrol
  • Wyoming Department of Homeland Security
  • Fremont County Sheriff's Office
  • Riverton Police Department
  • Lander Police Department
  • Shoshoni Police Department
  • Cody Police Department
  • Powell Police Department

A particularly successful case is the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, where a partnership of federal, state, and local agencies succeeded in breaking up three meth rings. The reservation covers 2.2 million acres (more ground than Delaware and Rhode Island combined) with a population of 3,700 enrolled Shoshone members and 8,100 enrolled Arapaho members. Only 10 full-time Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) police officers patrol this reservation.

The first meth ring to be broken up involved the Goodman drug trafficking operation, a family-run organization based on the reservation. At its peak, this group distributed up to 1 pound of meth per month. By May 2006, 24 defendants had been convicted on criminal drug charges and firearms violations, including a tribal judge.

The second Wind River meth ring to be brought down was the Sagaste-Cruz drug trafficking operation. This operation implemented a multi-reservation "business plan" that involved ruthlessly replacing alcohol addiction with meth addiction in communities where it operated. This illustrates the extent to which outside drug trafficking organizations are exploiting current addiction problems on the reservation to expand their influence.

According to the testimony of Mathew Mead, U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming, during the spring 2006 hearings, "Members of this drug ring executed their plan by relocating to communities close to the affected reservations, developing romantic relationships with Indian women, and introducing these women and others to meth with free samples."

In May 2005, Jesus Martin Sagaste-Cruz, the leader of the group, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute more than 100 pounds of meth and was sentenced to life in prison.

Mead identified two factors that contributed to the dismantling of these organizations: cooperative law enforcement and the support of tribal leaders. He worked with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to cross-designate BIA and state task force officers. Also, BIA and DEA officers, a deputy from the sheriff's department, and a local police officer were located onsite with the state task force team. "These drug dealers don't recognize geographical or political boundaries whatsoever," said Mead. "If we are hindered by that, we are going to have one hand tied behind our back."

A third meth ring on the Wind River Reservation was dismantled last year through a partnership of BIA and DEA agents, the Fremont County Sheriff's Office, and other law enforcement personnel. A total of 53 defendants were arrested, and 20 firearms, $100,000 in cash, and 20 pounds of meth were seized.

In his 2007 State of Indian Nations address, President Garcia acknowledged that great progress has been made in the war against meth use in Indian Country.

"In 2006, we called on the White House to establish a national task force to fight methamphetamine abuse and trafficking in Indian Country," he said. "The Administration and Congress responded, and federal agencies are now cooperating with tribes, NCAI, and national Indian organizations to battle this deadly problem. Our collaborative efforts have put us on the right path."

Sometimes, 1 year can make a difference.

Statistics courtesy of the National Congress of American Indians (http://www.ncai.org).

For more information, contact:
Sonia Klukas
Community Partnerships Outreach Office
sonia.klukas@usdoj.gov

Arizona Funds Six Tribal Anti-Meth Coalitions
By Colleen Copple, CCDO Consultant

The impact of methamphetamine (or meth) is being felt broadly in counties and tribal communities throughout Arizona, and many rural areas are struggling to find employees who can pass drug tests.

Each of the following six American Indian tribes has its own Anti-Meth Coalition:

  • Colorado River Indian Tribe
  • Hopi Tribe
  • Navajo Nation
  • San Carlos Apache Tribe
  • Tohono O'Odham Nation
  • White Mountain Apache Tribe

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Fort McDowell Indian Community participate in the Northeast Valley Anti-Meth Coalition.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration and state law enforcement officials, the local manufacture of meth is declining, but its importation is on the rise. Access to treatment is limited, and the number of drug-exposed infants is increasing. With these facts in mind, it made sense for the Arizona Governor's Office for Children, Youth, and Families and the Arizona Parents Commission on Drug Education and Prevention to launch Anti-Meth Coalitions in each county and in six tribes.

Governor Janet Napolitano has made the methamphetamine problem a top priority. Her office hosted a statewide Meth Action Planning Summit January 10–11, 2007, that involved strong tribal participation. There were 425 state and local participants at the summit from sectors such as law enforcement; prosecution; the courts; probation and parole; prevention; treatment; child welfare; media; environmental cleanup; public health; nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations; and other sectors. Attendees developed recommendations for a statewide response to the manufacture, distribution, and use of meth; local action plans for each of Arizona's 22 Anti-Meth Coalitions also were proposed. Many of the statewide recommendations included strategies for resolving jurisdictional issues and increasing access to funding for tribal prevention and treatment services.

The coalitions are using the Strategic Prevention Framework designed by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The prevention model includes six principles:

The Anti-Meth Coalitions received $20,000 each to use for the community assessment, capacity building, and planning phases of their local efforts. Participating coalitions were given extensive training and technical assistance in strategic planning, community assessment, and best practices for addressing the use of methamphetamine.

The coalitions are now in phase 2 of the process, and each will receive $30,000 to begin this phase. They are preparing plans they will follow to implement and assess the strategies they developed to combat methamphetamine use in their jurisdictions.

For more information, contact:
Carisa Dwyer
Office of Governor Janet Napolitano
Governor's Office for Children, Youth, and Families
Division for Substance Abuse Policy
602-542-3455

Resources

Finding Publications on Tribal Issues
Tribal Law Enforcement Resources lists more than 100 tribal-related resources and publications from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, part of the U.S. Department of Justice, and nongovernmental agencies.
View it on the Web: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/default.asp?Item=1923

Announcing New Tribal Justice and Safety Web Site
The Tribal Justice and Safety in Indian Country Web site provides information and resources for American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments and communities. It promotes resources to help the general public and other federal agencies better understand the resources available for improving safety in American Indian communities.
View it on the Web: http://www.tribaljusticeandsafety.gov

Combating Meth in Indian Country
Working Together to Combat Meth in Indian Country, a Special Report of the IHS Primary Care Provider, examines the rapidly growing problem of methamphetamine use in Indian Country, including the unique challenges methamphetamine poses to American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
View it on the Web: http://www.ihs.gov/PublicInfo/Publications/HealthProvider/issues/PROV1206.pdf


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