NCJ Number
157568
Date Published
1995
Length
82 pages
Annotation
Operation Weed and Seed represents a comprehensive, multiagency approach to combatting violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in high-crime neighborhoods, and program operation in Wilmington, Delaware, is evaluated.
Abstract
The Weed and Seed strategy involves four basic elements: (1) suppression; (2) community-oriented policing; (3) prevention, intervention, and treatment; and (4) neighborhood restoration. In Wilmington, Weed and Seed targets three neighborhoods in the central business district. Program goals are to reduce violent crime, drug trafficking, and drug-related crime in targeted neighborhoods and to provide a safe community environment. The Weed aspect of the program involves increasing drug law enforcement and undercover police operations, improving police- community relations, ensuring that offenders arrested for drug- related crime are prosecuted, and monitoring offenders after their release back into the community. The Seed aspect of the program includes recreation, tutoring, youth development, drug treatment, and victim services. Although Operation Weed and Seed has had a positive impact in Wilmington, many problems affecting targeted neighborhoods remain. For example, the illicit drug trade is unduly influenced by external factors over which the city has little or no control. In addition, Weed and Seed has not sufficiently addressed economic development and neighborhood restoration. Positive program effects have been realized, however, in the areas of police-community relations, community organization, and reduced fear of crime. 6 references, 15 tables, and 11 charts