This case study documents the activities implemented under the Weed and Seed program in Hartford, Conn., one of eight sites for the National Evaluation of Weed and Seed, and assesses the program's impact at this site.
Unveiled in 1991, Operation Weed and Seed is an attempt to improve the quality of life in America's cities. The ultimate goals of Weed and Seed are to control violent crime, drug trafficking, and drug-related crime in targeted high-crime neighborhoods and to provide a safe environment free of crime and drug use. The program is grounded in the philosophy that targeted areas can best be improved by a two-pronged strategy of "weeding" out violent offenders, drug traffickers, and other criminals by removing them from the targeted area and "seeding" the area with human services and neighborhood revitalization efforts. Community policing is intended to be the "bridge" between "weeding" and "seeding." The evaluation activities undertaken for this case study included onsite observation of program activities; in-person interviews with program staff, key law enforcement personnel, community leaders, service providers, and participants; review of program documents; a survey of target area residents; and analysis of computerized crime and arrest records provided by the local police department. The evaluation findings show that Part 1 crimes in the target area decreased 25.9 percent from 1994 to 1995 (the first year of Weed and Seed) and 27.1 percent from 1995 to 1996 (the second year of the program). The decrease during the first year is particularly notable because the number of Part 1 crimes in the rest of Hartford was basically unchanged (0.9-percent drop). Findings presented from the community survey focus on perceptions of the neighborhood, victimization, police response, community involvement, perceptions of social services and other programs, and perceptions of the Weed and Seed program. Future directions and degree of institutionalization are also discussed. 17 exhibits