NCJ Number
149580
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 61 Issue: 5 Dated: (May 1994) Pages: 31-35
Date Published
1994
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes the strategy used by the Fairfax County Police (Virginia) to address drug dealing and violent crime in a public housing project in Reston, Virginia.
Abstract
The implementation of Stage I included active, consistent enforcement and increased police visibility in the community. This was achieved by assigning a special team of officers to work full-time in the community to identify and remove the drug dealers who had been using the community as a safe haven. Those coming from outside the complex to buy drugs were immediately arrested for trespassing. As potential customers were eliminated, the drug-market activity diminished from 60 recorded cases in 1988 to 4 in 1992. Stage II activities commenced following initial community policing training and personnel selection and were concurrent with the establishment of community support and enforcement efforts. During Stage II, community policing officers were tasked with continued on-site enforcement and participation in cooperative problemsolving efforts. Officers were responsible for encouraging the formation of citizens' advisory groups and coordinating their efforts with human resource support groups. In Stage III, social services and other essential human resource organizations were established on-site, where they have become an essential element in the social substructure. Stage III also included an evaluation dimension that measured achievement against the standards of reduced crime rates and improved community perceptions of the police-resident relationship.