NCJ Number
150269
Date Published
Unknown
Length
12 pages
Annotation
ACOP is a community-based police and outreach program operating in the four St. Paul, Minnesota, public housing areas; it is jointly sponsored by the St. Paul Police Department and the St. Paul Public Housing Agency and is one of several programs that incorporates drug prevention activities.
Abstract
Program goals are to improve the working relationship between public housing communities and the police department and to expand police services to public housing residents. ACOP staff are involved in a number of community outreach activities, in addition to more traditional policing functions. The program incorporates community relations efforts, youth programs, and social work. An evaluation of ACOP indicates that citizen requests for police services increased by 10 percent between 1992 and 1993. ACOP officers spent most of their time on general preventive patrols and developed a strong base of community outreach. Balancing police work with community involvement appeared to be an effective way of improving relationships between residents and the police department. The community policing model developed by ACOP staff seemed to be responsive to citizen needs and proactive in addressing crime prevention issues. 5 tables