The program was initiated by State Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, Suffolk County District Attorney Ralph Martin, the mayor, and the police. The concept included grassroots efforts as neighborhood crime watches and forums, training and technical assistance for small businesses to address crime-related economic problems, and the establishment of community prosecutors. The Dorchester SNI is not cited by prosecutors, police, elected officials, neighborhood workers as an example of an effective collaborative, community-based initiative in which citizens, neighborhood groups, and law enforcement and government entities combine efforts to address not only criminals but also the conditions that promote criminal activity. Crime and violence still exist in the area, but the overall violent and property crime has declined in comparison to the years before the program began. Photographs