NCJ Number
161498
Date Published
1993
Length
53 pages
Annotation
This report on Wilmington's (Delaware) Eastside Substance Abuse Awareness Program (ESAAP) provides a qualitative assessment of the community policing component of the project.
Abstract
The evaluation is based on interviews with the key police personnel and community members who initiated, designed, and implemented community policing in Wilmington, a review of relevant documents, and observation of the Eastside neighborhood and a comparison neighborhood. The report begins with a short description of the project, followed by a review of the critical components of the new strategy reported in the literature on community policing. The research design is described, and the contribution of qualitative research to evaluation is discussed. Following a presentation of the findings and conclusions, the report presents a narrative and interpretation of the interview results. Findings show that to date ESAAP has not solved the illicit drug problem, but it has been contained, and the neighborhood's social order, police methods, and community self- awareness are slowly changing as intended. Outcomes observed include collaboration between community members and the police, a problem-oriented approach by both police and community members, and a sense of confidence and pride among community members who have seen that their efforts have impacted the community environment, community member's feelings of safety, and methods of allocating police resources to the community. A 10-item bibliography and appended interview questions