NCJ Number
134122
Date Published
1991
Length
64 pages
Annotation
The first year of a program designed to address factors related to the demand for illicit drugs as well as to reduce the supply of drugs in the Eastside neighborhood of Wilmington, Del. was evaluated with respect to its impact on neighborhood drug activity.
Abstract
The program began in 1989 and involved a sustained and coordinated community and police effort. The effort included enhanced law enforcement with emphasis on community policing; improved communication including a neighborhood advisory board and neighborhood watch groups; and increased social, education, and rehabilitative services including tutoring, parent education, counseling, and drug treatment. The evaluation used data on drug-related arrests and calls for police service from January 1987 through December 1990. Results showed increases in both calls to police and arrests, indicating greater willingness of citizens to report drug activity. In addition, calls remained relatively stable in the Eastside in 1989 and 1990, but increased in other neighborhoods with similar problems, indicating that the program has stabilized the level of drug-related activity in the Eastside. Thus, the improvements in Wilmington have come only in areas with a sustained and coordinated community and police effort. Figures, tables, and maps