Cops and Kids Revisited: A Second-Year Assessment of a Community Policing and Delinquency Prevention Innovation

• NCJ Number: 157427
• Journal: Police Studies Volume: 17 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1994) Pages: 1-20
• Author(s): A Giacomazzi; Q C Thurman
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 20 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program Description (Demonstrative)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Earlier draft of paper presented at the 31st Annual Meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, 1994, Chicago

Annotation

In the Community Opportunities Program for Youth (COPY), a community policing demonstration program in its third year of operation in Spokane, Washington, police officers served as role models for at-risk youths during week-long interaction.

Abstract

The Spokane Police Department hired staff and volunteers to work with COPY participants. Youths selected for enrollment in COPY were referred by school administrators and community center directors. These youths provided community services in residential areas where they lived. Community projects included clearing embankments of weeds and debris, cleaning area yards, eliminating graffiti under overpasses, and picking up trash from area parks. After work periods, the youths received interactive instruction and participated in recreational activities. In 1993, COPY served 335 youths from economically disadvantaged areas, 183 males and 152 females. Program evaluation data based on direct observation, focus group interviews, telephone interviews with parents, and staff questionnaires suggested favorable project results for participating youths, parents, and police officers. COPY appeared to fill a void in the lives of many youths, and parents said their perceptions of the Spokane Police Department had changed in a positive way. 33 references, 8 endnotes, and 1 table