NCJ Number
161365
Journal
Catalyst Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: (March 1996) Pages: 1-2
Editor(s)
M J Marvin
Date Published
1996
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This description of Denver's Project PACT/Comprehensive Communities Program focuses on two antiviolence strategies: mini-grants to police teams for public safety projects and a computerized mapping initiative to improve crime analysis.
Abstract
The project assists 16 urban demonstration sites to develop innovative, comprehensive antiviolence strategies. Federal funds permitted the awarding of 80 mini-grants, each averaging $2,000, to neighborhood law enforcement partnership projects. Each project responded to particular neighborhood needs. One created a computer bulletin board with e-mail capabilities and contacts for city services, and another enhanced a mentoring program for at- risk students. Other groups bought cellular phones for citizen patrols. This article describes one of the programs in detail; it is a basketball clinic for boys and girls in grades four and five, which is designed to teach life skills. The computerized mapping project uses sophisticated computer software to fine-tune crime analysis. The new mapping system overlays basic crime statistics with other data (poverty rates, domestic violence calls, juvenile arrests, school truants and suspensions, and locations of various high-risk crime targets.