The goal of the municipal approach, or community policing strategy, is to attack the drug problem by expanding resources beyond the police department. An integral part of such expansion is getting people in the community to work together. Parent-teacher associations and neighborhood associations were formed throughout Des Moines, and the police department established a full-time neighborhood association coordinator to serve as liaison to more than 35 neighborhood groups. A community handbook designed to serve as a resource to these groups was prepared in conjunction with the United Way. Cooperation between the police department and the neighborhood groups has increased the level of understanding and goodwill between them, as well as increasing the effectiveness of the "war on drugs" in Des Moines.