Community Policing Awards: Finalist - Springfield, Missouri Police Department

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Community Policing Case Studies with IACP/ITT Night Vision Community Policing Award

The Problem
The City of Springfield and its police department were dealing with a two-block area that, during the years, had become an area of prolific drug dealing, gang violence and homicide. This area encompassed the 1400 blocks of North Texas and Frisco Streets. The environment had become conducive to mischievous behavior. The area was dark and foreboding due to the presence of few, if any, streetlights. Trees and other vegetation hung over fences and sidewalks, and the alleys had become a maze of overgrown grass and discarded rubbish.

This problem was well-known and documented by residents of the area as well as every police officer who ever worked on the north side of the city. The few law-abiding residents who still lived in this area were anxious for any type of assistance they could receive in cleaning up the neighborhood and ridding it of the criminal behavior that had become so prevalent. The homicide of a young male resident, who lived and was killed in this neighborhood, was reported extensively by the media. As a result of the homicide, there was a public outcry for the city and police department to stop the criminal behavior in the area.

The department’s plan was to work with any and every agency or person that could assist in accomplishing the mission. The first step was to identify the criminals in the area and aggressively pursue criminal cases against them. Another piece of the plan was to make the area so inhospitable to criminals that they would prefer to relocate to another city. Secondly, police had to identify the elements of the environment that were making it so easy for criminals to operate in this area, as well as what was making it difficult for the police themselves to operate in the area. Ultimately, the objective was to eradicate the area of all criminal behavior and increase the quality of life for the law-abiding citizens of the neighborhood. Successful results were anticipated from the beginning; however, it wasn’t immediately clear how long it was going to take or what degree of cooperation the police department was going to receive from the community or other agencies. During the initial planning, it was determined that a strong first step would be to make as many criminal cases against those committing crime as possible and to work with the prosecutor’s office in an effort to maximize arrests, convictions and jail time. The results were well beyond all initial expectations.

The Solution
Officer Mark Sears was assigned to this area as the police area representative. He implemented the department’s problem-solving model, S.A.R.A. (Scan, Analyze, Respond and Assess). As a result, Officer Sears initiated a multipronged strategy to resolve the issues that were affecting the community’s quality of life negatively. Officer Sears sought the community’s assistance in identifying drug dealers and gang members. He marshaled other city agencies such as the Street Department and City Utilities. He worked with the Housing and Urban Development Office, which evicted the identified criminals and those who assisted in criminal behavior. Officer Sears also worked with the local law-abiding residents and churches to locate and recruit potential renters and purchasers of property who would have a positive impact on the area.

Officer Sears initiated several actions simultaneously. He contacted City Utilities and expressed a dire need to install numerous streetlights on these two streets. After forming a relationship with this agency, it agreed to survey the area and lend its resources and assistance. Soon thereafter, both streets had new streetlights, as well as new, brighter bulbs in the existing streetlights. This alone was a great accomplishment toward the goal of changing the environment. Now anyone can stand at one end of the street at night and see to the end of the block. The street officers now have nicknamed these two streets "landing strips" because of the copious number of lights. Officer Sears also contacted the Street Department, which agreed to erect "No Parking" signs on both sides of each road. This gave officers probable cause to contact any person who parked on the road at any time of day or night. This made a serious impact on the drug buyers’ ability to drive into the neighborhood and park on the street to receive his or her crack cocaine.

It also became obvious to all involved in the drug culture that if they parked in this neighborhood, they most likely would experience police contact, which made them extremely uncomfortable.

Furthermore, the street department cut all shrubbery away from the sidewalks and streetlights. This eliminated all the shadows and dark spaces that criminals were used to having for concealment. The street department also cleaned the alleyways behind the houses and cut all the shrubbery and grass. This also had a dual effect. The officers now were able to see down the alleys as well as have easy avenues of pursuit.

The police department also strongly supported this effort. Realizing that it had to take an aggressive stance in this area, the department provided overtime for officers to work in this neighborhood. This was in addition to those who were assigned to work in this beat on a daily basis. The residents, as well as the criminals, soon felt the effect of additional officers. According to those who frequented the area, “there (were) police everywhere.” Through his relationship with the Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D), Officer Sears was able to provide documentation to the agency regarding criminal activity that was occurring in H.U.D housing. H.U.D was able to use this information to evict the criminals that were living in its housing. Officer Sears also worked with the landlords who owned houses in the area. He informed them of the community’s desire to “clean up” the neighborhood. Officer Sears was able to gain the landlords’ cooperation, and they, too, began to evict unruly and criminal tenants. This displaced the criminals from the area.

Lastly, police sought the assistance of the com- munity leaders and residents from this area. Once they saw that the police department was making serious and conscious efforts to improve the neighborhood, everyone was willing to help. Officer Sears formed contacts who provided him with information on the locations of wanted criminals, drug dealers and gang members. This information allowed Officer Sears and others to make numerous arrests. It then became well-known to the local criminals that if they went to the area of Frisco and North Texas, Officer Sears would know they were there, and he would arrest them. Before long, the criminals who weren’t in jail had decided to move to another city or out of this area.

Evaluation
The overall results of this initiative were great. In the first year, there were approximately 33 percent fewer calls for service. The area is now free of gangs, open-air drug dealing and other malevolent activities. People that now live in this neighborhood take pride in their homes and are committed to bettering their community.

The ultimate goal was to eradicate serious crime and criminals from this area. After a period of one year, there was a clear reduction in calls for service. Assaults were down 100 percent; drugs 300 percent; vandalism 300 percent; warrants 133 percent; and check vehicle calls were down 400 percent. Although no formal survey was taken from the local residents prior to this project, many that live in the area testify that their quality of life has improved dramatically. They will tell you they no longer have to worry about drive-by shootings, open-air drug dealing and gangs ruling the street. Their neighborhood has undergone a transformation. The homes have been refurbished; property values have gone up; and a new lawabiding clientele is seeking housing in this area.

The actual results were well beyond what had been anticipated. Police believed they would be successful in arresting violators but had no idea that not only would they accomplish that goal, but would be successful in facilitating the transformation of the entire neighborhood. It gives the Community Services Unit great pride when the older officers talk about what the "hood" used to be like. Now they say it’s a "boring" neighborhood to patrol. For those who participated in this project, there could be no better compliment.

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