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Promising Strategies from the Field: Community Policing in Smaller Jurisdictions

NCJ Number
202694
Date Published
September 2003
Length
62 pages
Annotation
This document provides case studies that highlight the projects of 11 law enforcement agencies that found innovative uses for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) funding.
Abstract
California’s Woodland Police Department hired a school resource officer (SRO), which led to several positive outcomes. Patrol no longer needs to respond to school-related incidents. The SRO has increased the levels of trust, respect, and communication between law enforcement and the school community. The school campuses are significantly safer for students and staff. The Warner Robins Police Department (Georgia) used COPS hiring grants to hire more officers so that it could more effectively respond to street-level drug dealing in the city and the dilapidated housing from which dealers operated. The Coventry Police Department (Connecticut) used a COPS MORE grant to purchase a new CAD/RMS, which provides needed crime analysis and ultimately allows officers more time to answer more calls. A COPS School-based Partnership grant helped students, police, and school personnel in Yorkville, IL conduct a needs assessment in the school and determine the prevalence of gang activity and bullying and the availability of services and activities. The Gulf Breeze Police Department (Florida) hired a COPS-funded school resource officer and reduced vandalism complaints during homecoming week by 83 percent from the previous year. A COPS Distressed Neighborhoods Program grant allowed the Muskegon Police Department (Michigan) to form the Distressed Neighborhood Task Force, which resulted in increased positive communications between citizens and police in four targeted neighborhoods. Arizona’s Pima Community College Department of Public Safety used a COPS MORE grant to purchase equipment to provide a more efficient and expedient system for preparing and submitting reports. The Golden Police Department (Colorado) placed two SRO's in its high school and middle school to aid in school needs assessment, reducing the amount of student crime, and improving ties between the schools and community. Fairbanks, AK police used COPS funds to reduce the number of alcohol-related incidents on campus. COPS-funded officers in Roseville, CA aided that police department in institutionalizing community policing. The police department in Dyersburg, TN, also initiated community policing programs with COPS funding.