NCJ Number
225585
Journal
THE POLICE CHIEF Volume: 75 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2008 Pages: 60,62,63,65,66
Date Published
November 2008
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes the White Plains Police Department’s (New York State) implementation of a series of initiatives over the past 6 years that have reduced serious crime and violence by using nontraditional programs to disrupt street violence, help convicted criminals reenter the community, and improve police-community relations.
Abstract
In 2006, a series of violent crimes in and around the city’s public housing complexes and downtown area of entertainment and luxury condominiums prompted the police department to increase foot, bike, mounted, and motorcycle patrols in the downtown area. The neighborhood conditions unit (NCU) increased quality-of-life enforcement in crime hot spots and in the city’s public housing complexes. The intelligence unit identified and focused on high-risk offenders and their “crews.” Detectives arrested gang members as the Community Policing Division simultaneously began conducting home visits. Representatives from the police department and the city’s youth bureau met with members of the community, activists, and Black ministers. Following these meetings, the police department and the youth bureau partnered with the North American Family Institute in developing and implementing a program for reducing violence among the city’s youth and improve community-police relations. Through structured presentations, group learning, and problem solving activities, the city‘s youth and police officers discussed their values, attitudes, and feelings about race, violence, respect, and policing. De-escalation techniques were discussed and practiced through role-playing, so as to build effective communication skills for resolving highly charged incidents. The White Plains Youth Bureau’s Step Up program, based on the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention’s Comprehensive Gang Model Program, is a critical component of the city’s efforts to combat gang activity and street violence. Police officers refer youths to Step Up as an alternative to incarceration or as part of the department’s prisoner reentry program. 2 figure, 12 notes