202 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
202 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
October 1990
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SAFETY ACTION TEAM
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By
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Rod Englert
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Lieutenant
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Multnomah County, Oregon, Sheriff's Department
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Throughout the past decade, the City of Portland, Oregon,
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once well known for its natural beauty and peacefulness,
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experienced a drastic change. Gang violence, fueled by an
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increased flow of crack cocaine throughout the area, led to an
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astounding rise in crime rates. Turf battles between rival gangs
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erupted in once placid neighborhoods.
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THE PROBLEM
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The housing authority projects throughout the area were
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particularly hard hit by the violence and criminal activity.
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Specifically, the Columbia Villa Housing Project became notorious
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for gang-sponsored violence, drug dealings, and drive-by
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shootings. Turf battles ensued as rival gangs sought to dominate
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the growing drug trade in the project, and residents of Columbia
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Villa found themselves caught in the middle of the turf warfare.
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In this environment, crime became a way of life for many.
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Children acted as lookouts and runners for the drug dealers; some
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even became small-time peddlers. Teens were pressured to join
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gangs and commit crimes against other residents as rights of
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initiation. Juvenile delinquency thrived. Residents who refused
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to join the criminal element often found themselves the victims
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of it.
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In addition to the crime problem, residents of Columbia
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Villa faced a variety of social and economic barriers. Nearly
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100 percent of the families in the project lived at or below the
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poverty level, with annual family incomes ranging from $2,500 to
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$12,000. Many residents lacked high school diplomas and could not
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read at a functional level, which severely limited their
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employment potential. Other residents suffered chronic or
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unattended health problems. Transportation and access to child
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care were very limited. Few residents possessed job skills or
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experience, and there was a chronic lack of positive role
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models.
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A VIABLE SOLUTION
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In April 1989, the Housing Authority of Portland (HAP)
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contracted with the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office to provide
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police services in Columbia Villa for 1 year. The goals were to:
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* Reduce the fear of crime
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* Reduce the actual criminal activity in the project, and
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* Empower the tenants of Columbia Villa to regain control
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by building their self-confidence and self-esteem.
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The contract stipulated that HAP would provide office space
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for the deputies assigned to Columbia Villa, while the sheriff's
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office would assign one lieutenant, three sworn deputies, and two
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community services officers (CSOs) to the project. In addition
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to an unmarked administrative vehicle, the officers used a
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nine-passenger, marked van and one marked patrol car. The office
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space for the sheriff's office personnel was located next to the
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on-site housing authority manager to facilitate information
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sharing.
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SAFETY ACTION TEAM
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The group assigned to Columbia Villa was named the Safety
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Action Team (SAT). Members possessed the necessary professional
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and social skills that would enable them to deal effectively with
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the complexities that characterized life in Columbia Villa. In
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early April 1989, the team went to work to reduce the fear of
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crime and to help the residents reclaim their housing
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development.
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METHODS
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The Safety Action Team employs specific methods to stem the
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tide of crime. These include:
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* ``Walking and Talking''--Each officer and CSO was
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responsible for contacting five residents per shift
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* Working with the maintenance staff to structure parking
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lots with painted lines and registering residents'
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vehicles with annual renewable parking decals (only
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residents would be allowed to park in the lots)
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* Identifying criminal elements, particularly the drug
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dealers and gang members; warning them and their
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families of eviction for continued criminal activity
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* Identifying outsiders who bring problems into the area
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and begin enforcing trespass ordinances
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* Training residents in crime prevention techniques, such
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as situation avoidance, burglary proofing, and
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especially, crime reporting
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* Identifying truants and transporting them to class, while
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encouraging children to stay in school
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* Establishing an athletic program, such as the Police
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Athletic League (PAL), and recruiting off-duty police
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officers or citizens to assist in coaching teams
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In addition to these steps, the SAT organized trips for
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children to the zoo and other places of interest, made job
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placement available to youths, and attempted to create an
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atmosphere of safety for the elderly and handicapped by making
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the marked police van available to them for transportation to
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the hospital, store, or work.
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SAT ON PATROL
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The unique geographic layout and size of the housing project
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presented special problems to the SAT. Since contact with as
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many of the residents as possible was a primary goal, and because
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crime could occur any place within the 77-acre project, SAT
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personnel quickly realized that the success of their program
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depended on mobility.
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To increase the officers' mobility, two private businesses
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and the local Rotary Club donated five mountain bikes and
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accessory equipment. The deputies' uniforms were modified to
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conform to the needs of cycling, and members of the Bicycle Unit
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of the Seattle, Washington, Police Department assisted with the
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training. The deputies learned to tackle running suspects from
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their bikes, dismount at 25 m.p.h without injury, and ride up and
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down stairs. Not only did the bicycles enable the officers to
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contact residents more easily, but the use of bicycles also
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enhanced the deputies' ability to spot criminal activity. No one
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expected an officer to be riding a bike.
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RESULTS
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During the first 4 months of the program, the deputies
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personally contacted 1,752 tenants. Through the SAT's efforts,
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75 Columbia Villa residents, including many former gang members,
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gained employment in the Portland area.
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Deputies transported tenants scheduled for court appearances
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to their trials and hearings. Some of the suspects were released
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by the court back to the supervision of the SAT. The releases
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were conditional, with many of the defendants becoming involved
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in cleaning up the parking lots and grounds around their homes.
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Pride slowly began to build, and with it, emerged a new
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atmosphere in Columbia Villa. Tenants, who were first
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apprehensive about visiting the SAT office, began to request help
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or offer their assistance. Children began to center activities
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around the office and looked to the SAT personnel as new role
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models, replacing the drug dealers and gang leaders.
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Calls to the Central Dispatch Center became more detailed as
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residents of the project took an increased personal interest in
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ridding the neighborhood of crime. Soon after the SAT program
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was instituted, a noticeable reduction in the fear of crime had
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encouraged tenants of Columbia Villa to believe that with their
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support, criminal activity could be significantly reduced in the
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project.
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As media accounts began to tell of the change taking place
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in Columbia Villa, the community responded with an outpouring of
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support and donations. Church groups in the surrounding areas
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contacted the SAT office wanting to know how they could volunteer
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their time and efforts. Area businesses provided free of charge
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nutritional snacks for the children of the project, fishing
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trips, basketball uniforms, tickets to cultural and sporting
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events, even a new microwave oven and computer. In essence, the
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community got involved.
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CONCLUSION
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Within the first month of the SAT program, the fear of crime
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had been significantly reduced in Columbia Villa. As the fear of
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crime diminished, tenants gradually became confident enough to
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make detailed calls to the police and sheriff's departments when
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criminal activity was observed.
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Eventually, through the efforts of the SAT, an atmosphere of
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pride began to replace despair in the project. Because of the
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mobility of the SAT team and the newly acquired diligence of the
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residents, open air drug deals are no longer the norm in the
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project. Gang activity diminished as the gangs were denied new
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members. Now, the project's youth center activities around the
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SAT officers.
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The pilot program sparked the interest of other law
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enforcement agencies with large housing projects within their
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jurisdictions. The success of the SAT program in meeting its
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three original goals reducing the fear of crime, reducing
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actual criminal activity, and empowering project residents to
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reclaim their neighborhood demonstrates how law enforcement can
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take a lead role in reversing the tide of crime.
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