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Northeast Yakima
Crime Prevention Fair
Date: Thursday January 28th 2010
Time: 6:30 P.M.
Place: Barge Lincoln Elementary
219 E. I Street
Sponsored by: Northeast Block Watch /
Yakima Gang Free Coalition,
Barge Lincoln Elem. & APKI
The Yakima Police Department
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Feria de Prevencion del Crimen
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Fecha: Jueves 28 de Enero, 2010
Hora: 6:30 de la tarde
Lugar: La Escuela Barge Lincoln
219 E. I Street
Patrocinado por: Vigilancia de Vecindad del
Noreste /Yakima Gang Free Coalition,
La Escuela Barge Lincoln y 4PKiMq
el Departamento de Policia de Yakima
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NCCIIi National League: of Cities - for Youth, Education, and Families
CALIFORNIA CITIES GANG PREVENTION NETWORK STRATEGY PAPER
IMPLEMENTING A
CITYWIDE GANG
V REDUCTION
STRATEGY
T HREE
PROMISING
EXAMPLES
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NCCD National League of Cities institute for Youth, Education, and Families
CALIFORNIA CITIES GANG PREVENTION NETWORK STRATEGY PAPER
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Introduction Essential Building Blocks of a Citywide Gang Violence
Reduction Strategy
In September 2006, the National League of Cities
(NLC), through its Institute for Youth, Education, and Drawing upon the experience of cities in California and
Families (YEF Institute), and the National Center on nationwide, NLC and NCCD frequently point to six
Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) launched a network essential building blocks of effective strategies to reduce
of 13 California cities to identify successful policies and gang violence. The highly promising examples described
practices for reducing gang violence. The California below provide evidence of how some cities have
Cities Gang Prevention Network is helping shed light on effectively combined the building blocks into structures
local anti -gang strategies from which other cities across for ongoing progress in gang prevention. The essential
the nation can learn. elements include:
This strategy paper responds to the need for current • A blend of prevention, intervention, and enforcement
examples of positive, effective, and balanced city strategies, and a clear role for the expression of
responses to individual and community victimization the community's moral voice to create a truly
caused by gang violence, as well as for tools that other comprehensive, multi- faceted strategy;
municipal leaders can use in their cities. As partners
in convening the California Cities Gang Prevention • Broad community involvement in the creation,
Network, NLC and NCCD wish to highlight promising validation, and implementation of the strategy Cities
efforts that "get beyond fear" and call upon a range of undertaking a comprehensive strategy are in essence
means to reduce violence. Notably, cities such as San moving toward and proclaiming a new social norm,
Jose, San Bernardino, and Santa Rosa have moved which necessitates the involvement of many elements
initiatives forward at a reasonable cost and identified of the community;
new funding sources where needed. Officials from these
cities have also seized and shaped new opportunities, and •Mayoral leadership — in moral terms to proclaim a
have been generous in sharing their promising practices compelling vision and sustain attention to citywide
with municipal leaders in other cities. goals, and in practical terms to convene collaborative
meetings and publicly devote time and energy to the
With the publication of this first of a series of network gang issue;
strategy papers, NLC and NCCD seek to spread the
word further about what can happen when cities • A process that starts with the shaping and adoption
thoughtfully apply a combination of elements of of a vision, moves on to concrete goals, and elaborates
prevention, intervention, enforcement, and community strategies before dwelling on the specifics of which
voice as part of a comprehensive local strategy programs to utilize;
Im .lementin • a Citywide Gan • Violence Reduction Strate:l 2
• A means to make the strategy dynamic by tracking San Jose's Strategy: Prevention,
results and reviewing and reshaping the strategy as
needs and issues shift; and Intervention, Suppression,
Community, and More
• A recognition that the limit- setting inherent in
enforcement and intervention and the nurturing The City of San Jose, Calif., (population 912,332)
inherent in prevention are not antithetical but rather has developed a comprehensive gang strategy over a
complementary A comprehensive strategy will not take 17 -year period. This strategy neatly blends prevention,
root and grow if law enforcement and social service intervention, suppression, and the moral voice of the
agencies and providers are at odds. community Undergirding this strategy are two principal,
interrelated features that other cities may readily adapt for
Getting Started their own use: the Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force
and the city- supported Bringing Everyone's Strengths
City officials seeking to develop a comprehensive gang Together (BEST) fund.
violence reduction strategy can tap the experience of
many cities that have done so before. With the essential San Jose has built and sustained its gang strategy in
elements in mind — and inspired by all or parts of several ways:
the examples below — municipal leaders can take the
following steps to get started. • Balancing leadership from the top with a strong
community voice;
• Assemble a core group to set the vision and goals.
• Developing and frequently renewing the city's vision
• Clarify roles and responsibilities for municipal officials and strategic plans;
and other community leaders.
• Maximizing interagency and cross - system
• Develop a draft plan that lays out a balanced mix collaboration,
of strategies that blend prevention, intervention,
enforcement, and the moral voice of the community • Clearly delineating staff and advisory roles; and
• Glean opinions about the draft plan from an expanded • Creating funding, accountability, and re- calibration
group of stakeholders. When ready, present the plan to mechanisms.
top management /leadership and governing body(ies)
San Jose's strategic approach has, over time, reduced
• Create the means for ongoing coordination at the youth violent crime by almost half, cut the school
policy level — elected and appointed leaders of dropout rate, reduced Juvenile Hall admissions by 59
governments, agencies, and key community-based percent, and reduced commitments to the California
organizations — and at the technical level — those who Youth Authority and to foster care.
implement projects and programs.
Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force: Formally, the
• Build in methods for evaluation of whether strategies Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force consists of some 35
are achieving desired results. members who are leaders representing the City of San
Jose and Santa Clara County governments, local school
See Appendix I for a more detailed description of the districts, and the nonprofit community. This "policy
essential elements for developing a local action plan, team" meets bi- monthly under the co- chairmanship of
which includes a list of key steps and examples. th mayor and police chief to discuss the current status of
gang prevention, intervention, and suppression efforts, set
policy, and determine strategy
Im.lementin• a Ci ide Gan: Violence Reduction Strate3 3
Members of a larger "technical team" drawn from form of ongoing convening of the Task Force, and in
city and county departments, community-based several other ways as well. For instance, in a city with
organizations, and faith -based organizations meet on a manager- council form of government, the mayor
a monthly basis to tackle specific issues or to react to uses one of his key areas of leverage — final authority
a spike in actual or expected gang violence. The city over the city budget — to set aside funds each year for
Department of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood BEST grants. Related budget actions also fall within the
Services (PRNS) along with the Police Department purview of the mayor, such as proposing the hiring of
provide staffing for Task Force efforts and meetings. an additional 15 police officers and providing ongoing
PRNS administers the $4 million BEST fund, infused support for joint anti - truancy efforts involving the city
yearly with city general revenue. BEST grants support and school districts.
on- the - ground gang prevention and intervention efforts
by dozens of local, regional, and statewide organizations The mayor effectively delegates day -to -day staffing
reaching thousands of San Jose youth each year. to the Police Department and PRNS, while making
aides available as liaisons with these and other line
A living plan refreshed annually: Originally formed departments. The mayor listens to individual citizens
in 1991 "to focus governmental action on gang and community groups alike in the forum provided by
prevention," the Task Force and BEST fund have the bi- monthly Policy Team meetings. Importantly, the
remained active under three mayors, four city managers, mayor provides visibility for the "safe city" effort through
and three police chiefs. Every three years, through personal leadership in the form of ongoing public
a consultation and retreat process, the Task Force appearances and pronouncements.
renews its vision and strategic plan The evolution of
perspective from one emphasizing suppression — "Project A prominent community voice: San Jose shows a
Neighborhood Crackdown" was the first tag line for strong commitment to a highly transparent or porous
the Task Force — to one emphasizing positive youth way of pursuing its strategy Thus, the community
development is embodied in the theme of the most voice that helped spark action has been consistently
recent plan, "Reclaiming Our Youth." At least every loud and articulate over the years. Representatives of
year, the Task Force re- calibrates the percentage of BEST People Acting in Community Together (PACT), the
funds going to prevention services, and those going to local affiliate of state and national PICO faith -based
intervention services, consistent with an analysis of needs community organizing groups, participate actively
in the community in Task Force and related meetings, and bring their
particular emphasis on leadership accountability to many
Leadership from the Top Balanced with a Strong settings. PACT members and others express the "moral
Community Voice voice of the community" that is a necessary component
of any comprehensive gang strategy
The seeds of San Jose's "top down /bottom up" strategy
were planted when passionate faith -based community Sustainability: Interweaving elected leadership and
organizers asked then -Mayor Susan Hammer to the voices and passions of the community is San Jose's
coordinate a response to the 300 percent rise in the formula for sustaining its gang strategy Whereas the
juvenile violent crime rate of the late 1980s. The pleas mayor and police chief convene meetings, provide
of one outspoken mother for the city to help see her leadership, and rightfully take credit for the effort,
daughter safely through to adulthood resonated with the community members feel a strong sense of ownership
mayor and her agency heads, and prompted action. When asked recently whether the new mayor would
continue the Task Force, one longtime community
Mayoral influence and leverage: What began with activist responded. "Of course it will continue. It's not
Mayor Hammer continues today under Mayor Chuck his, it's ours."
Reed. Leadership from the top comes first in the
Im .lementin • a Ci ide Gan • Violence Reduction Strate • 4
Delineation of Staff and Advisory Roles intervention, and suppression programs that work
effectively in the neighborhoods." The Technical Team
San Jose moves its strategy forward efficiently through manager collects Memoranda of Understanding from all
clear delineation of staff and advisory roles. organizations and agencies involved in gang prevention
and intervention efforts.
Policy Team. The advisory and policy- setting Policy
Team involves leadership -level representatives of agencies Development and Renewal of Vision and
and organizations, including city parks and recreation, Strategic Plans
courts, law enforcement, faith -based community
organizers, gang intervention experts, and the state Today, the vision of Mayor Reed, Police Chief Rob
parole office and U S Attorney (see inset) Bi- monthly Davis, and the Task Force is "Safe and healthy youth
Policy Team meetings feature reports on gang activity connected to their families, schools, communities, and
and key prevention, intervention, and enforcement their futures." This vision builds upon the work of past
steps underway In addition to time for decision- making city and community leaders and adheres to the bold
regarding policy and strategy adjustments, the meetings goal that "all youth and their families will feel safe and
offer opportunity for public comment. productive in San Jose." San Jose has smartly structured
a way to sustain the vision, while adjusting it to fit the
Technical Team: The staff role is fulfilled by a Technical moment, through strategic planning.
Team, which consists of "worker bees" drawn from
city, county, and community agencies. PRNS staff Strategic planning San Jose-style: Every three years, the
members, police officers, representatives of direct service Task Force goes through a formal, highly collaborative
organizations and agencies with special expertise in and consultative process of honing its strategy and
gangs, as well as school officials participate on this team. objectives. The process includes an annual retreat of the
The Technical Team meets monthly and as needed, and Policy and Technical Teams, community input solicited
regularly reviews and develops updates for the Policy through a BEST needs assessment, and a close review
Team regarding the gang climate and dynamics in the of the results of annual BEST evaluations. For instance,
city This team is also "charged with the responsibility at a recent annual retreat, the Technical Team noted
of assuring the development of gang prevention, disturbing trends such as increasing incidents of higher-
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Im .lementin • a Ci ide Gan: Violence Reduction Strate: 5
intensity violence among gang - involved youth, acts of In responding to recent interview questions about how
violence among youth ages 15 -19; increasing use of collaboration works in San Jose, people active with
technology as a means for communications among gang the Task Force note that the city's approach could be
members; active recruitment and an increasing number adopted by "any community in which the participants
of self - identified gang - involved youth, and declining are committed to common goals, communication,
resources available from city and other sources. Also, a coordination, and cooperation." Further, San Jose
new survey showed very poor levels of developmental recommends "keeping youth safety as the overarching
assets among youth in Juvenile Hall, in comparison to all goal" in order to work through differences San Jose Task
youth across the county Force leaders also note the overriding importance of
having developed strong relationships with each other.
With these conditions in mind, the Task Force developed "We know each other. We can and do call each other
a new "Reclaiming Our Youth" strategic work plan. anytime day or night. It's beyond the professional to
This plan proclaimed adoption of new intervention- colleagues, to friends."
based methods in the context of new emphases on
further capacity- building, further incorporation of the Built -in Funding, Accountability, and
Search Institute's development assets model of youth Recalibration Mechanisms
development as well as resiliency research into the work
of city- funded service providers, and establishment of a In San Jose, city funding for gang prevention and
new organizational and communications structure. intervention has been an important strategic tool, and the
support for continued funding is matched by a commitment
Maximizing Inter - Agency and Cross - System to transparency and accountability For a city of San Jose's
Collaboration size, funding is relatively modest at the $4 million level,
with partners providing a similar scale of matching funds.
Out of its commitment to efficiency and effectiveness, BEST grantees receiving amounts ranging from $5,000 to
San Jose's strategy maximizes inter -agency and cross- $225,000 must operate within an asset - building framework,
system collaboration. The Task Force itself serves as and are subject to rigorous performance monitoring. Each
an intermediary and meeting ground between and grantee organization must also establish its qualifications by
among agencies and systems. The Technical Team is responding to a Request for Qualifications (RFOJ and must
the place to see ground -level cross - systems work in provide matching funds.
action. For instance, Police Department cooperation
and involvement with community-based BEST grantees Annual evaluation: In addition to monitoring beneficial
is heavy, including efforts in which crime prevention changes such as a diminution in the juvenile crime rate,
specialists teach children how to use critical thinking the city retains a respected Bay Area firm, Community
skills to avoid trouble; intervention teams that handle Crime Prevention Associates, to conduct a thorough,
escalating threats; and a Police Activities League third -party, annual evaluation of results from BEST
providing pro - social activities. grants each year. Depending upon performance and
the yearly rebalancing of emphasis between prevention
In addition to these roles in prevention and intervention, and intervention, organizations do cycle in and out of
the Police Department takes the lead with gang provider roles. Highlights of overall accomplishments
enforcement and suppression efforts. A binding emphasis in a recent report demonstrate the identified beneficial
on the prevention- intervention - suppression triad has effects of just one year of BEST funding•
produced creative new approaches and the use of a
broader range of tactics and responses, including BEST- • Connections with caring adults grew, as BEST
funded activities, code enforcement, legal injunctions that program staff "indicated that their customers
prevent individuals or gangs from entering specific "turf," developed caring relationships with an average of 3 9
and a continuum of services to address truancy new adults due to their BEST services;"
Im.lementin: a Ci ide Gan: Violence Reduction Strate4 6
• Child and youth customers gave BEST services an 1 Awareness: Create an education campaign regarding
overall positive customer satisfaction rating of 82 the risk factors affecting youth and the resources
percent; parents gave an 89 percent satisfaction rating. available to them.
As noted above, the Task Force calibrates a new ratio 2. Prevention: Increase the number of prevention
among BEST grantees each year depending upon the programs with the priority target being high -risk
assessed need for prevention or intervention services. neighborhoods.
For instance, the Reclaiming Our Youth plan called for
ramping up intervention -based services in its first year, 3. Intervention. Increase intervention services and
beginning with 70 percent of BEST funding (up from 39 create positive opportunities for high -risk and gang -
percent in 2002 -03, and 54 percent in 2003 -04) with the involved youth and families.
goal of reaching and diverting more actual gang members.
4. Enforcement: Increase enforcement efforts of serious
and violent crime and enhance the sense of public
Two Emerging Examples: Santa Rosa safety
and San Bernardino 5. Systems /Metrics: Create a delivery system and
measures to track ongoing programs.
Santa Rosa — A Countywide, Comprehensive Strategy
Based in a Smaller City With respect to the fifth targeted strategy, Santa Rosa
has identified several key indicators of community
Santa Rosa, Calif., with a population of more than success in slowing and stopping gang violence. The
150,000, began developing a comprehensive gang trends for which stakeholders are watching include:
strategy in earnest in 2003 As in San Jose, the
strategy seeks to balance prevention, intervention, • The rate of violent incidents committed by youth
and enforcement, and receives guidance from a Gang declines;
Prevention Task Force appointed and chaired by the
mayor. Innovations in Santa Rosa of note include the • The California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) shows a
passage of the Measure 0 quarter -cent sales tax measure reduction in the percentage of self - reporting gang- involved
to support public safety programs, and a purview for youth (Note: The city in collaboration with WestEd has
the gang strategy that extends beyond city limits across developed a custom CHKS module for all schools in Santa
Sonoma County Rosa. The module asks questions on afterschool activities,
safety, violence prevention, and youth development.);
Broad vision, clear goal Santa Rosa is a medium -sized
city with a broad vision, with echoes of San Jose's vision, to • The recidivism rate for gang - involved youth declines;
drive its gang strategy "Reclaim our youth for their families,
schools, communities, and futures." Also, the city and its • The Academic Performance Index for Santa Rosa
county partners have fixed sights on a clear, shared goal: to schools improves;
cut gang violence in half in the five years from 2006 -11
• Truancy rates decline, and high school graduation rates
Targeted strategies: Santa Rosa has developed and improve.
is putting into place a number of targeted strategies
to achieve this goal, under the umbrella strategy of Several methods that Santa Rosa has used to date
mobilizing and aligning community resources through provide context and useful pointers for other cities.
gang prevention, intervention, and enforcement. The
city's five targeted strategies are:
Im•lernentin• a Ci ide Gan: Violence Reduction Strate3 7
Lead with the community: From the earliest days, city strategy set forth by the Policy Team, and aims to ground
and county stakeholders realized the importance of the city's gang prevention efforts within the community
community involvement and support to a successful
gang prevention strategy In order to actively engage Measure 0 Sales Tax: Stakeholders realized that the city
community members, the city and its partners would need a stable source of funding in order to create
conducted several educational forums about gang - related and support a continuum of long -term and effective
crime. Subsequently, community members joined the gang prevention and intervention programs. Santa Rosa's
strategic planning effort that produced the vision, goal, City Council moved to provide such a source by placing
targeted strategies, and key indicators listed above. Measure 0 on the November 2004 ballot. Measure
0, embraced heartily by local voters, authorized a new
Mayor -led task force, Policy and Operational teams: increment of one quarter of one percent in sales tax to
The Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force took shape in support a range of public safety efforts and programs.
2004 under the leadership of then -Mayor Jane Bender. Analysts expect the measure to generate a total of $7
Its bi- monthly meetings are open to the public. The million per year for the next 20 years. Eighty percent
mayor appoints the Task Force's Policy Team, which of the proceeds go to the Police and Fire Departments,
now consists of some 40 city and county leaders in with 20 percent reserved for gang intervention and
several fields, such as education, the court system, law prevention efforts. A citizen oversight committee reviews
enforcement, local government, and community-based the expenditures to ensure that funds are being spent
organizations. Key criteria in selecting Policy Team appropriately and to prevent the funds from supplanting
members include their capability to mobilize individuals existing General Fund resources devoted to public safety
and communities, acquire resources, and impact Through Measure 0, the Santa Rosa Recreation and
policy The team's responsibilities include coordinating Parks Department now receives approximately $1 4
gang prevention efforts, identifying important issues, million per year, which it has begun spending in four
facilitating resource needs, considering public opinion, areas:
and advising the mayor.
1. Operating citywide afterschool recreation programs in
The Policy Team is currently pursuing three thematic schools and neighborhood centers;
aims• to reduce gang activity in Santa Rosa, help create
and maintain safer schools and neighborhoods, and 2. Using 35 percent of funds for in- school violence
provide personal development opportunities for youth prevention and conflict resolution education, as well
that will help them make healthy decisions. Its specific as contracts with local nonprofits providing related
focus areas are outreach to youth and families; outpatient services that will enhance youth asset development
counseling; targeted programming for youth at risk and reduce risk factors;
of gang involvement; parent /family support; and job
readiness training and job placement for gang - involved 3. Providing staff support to the Task Force Policy and
youth. Operational Teams; and
The Policy Team appoints an Operational Team, 4. Conducting ongoing assessments of youth risk and
composed of representatives of law enforcement protective factors through the California Healthy Kids
(police and probation), the city Recreation and Parks Survey
Department, the District Attorney, community- and
neighborhood -based organizations, and other individuals The Recreation and Parks Department issued its first
working directly with youth. The Operational Team Request for Applications in June 2006 and awarded
works closely with community groups on specific areas approximately $1 15 million for 16 projects of up to 19
of gang prevention and intervention, such as mentoring months in duration. Thirteen of these projects involved
or job skill development. It implements the vision and contracts for services to at -risk and high -risk youth in
Im .lementin • a Ci ide Gan • Violence Reduction Strate 3 8
danger of joining or already members of a gang The 3. Use of special sales tax increment funding and a
other projects provided funding for early intervention nonprofit foundation to support the effort.
services in three clusters of the Neighborhood
Services Section of Santa Rosa's Recreation and Parks Vision built on three pillars: Mayoral candidate and
Department. Sample services to be provided include job Judge Pat Morris had made Operation Phoenix the heart
readiness, family support, outpatient therapy, drug and of his campaign platform after seeing the city's murder
alcohol counseling, gender- specific violence prevention rate triple in seven years. Once in office, Mayor Morris
(targeted to both girls and boys), as well as martial arts rallied numerous partners and citizens to a vision he
and boxing instruction. described at the launch of Operation Phoenix and again
in his 2007 State of the City address: "Suppression,
Results: Santa Rosa's thorough approach has begun to intervention, and prevention — these are the three pillars
pay off in terms of results. The evaluator's report on the upon which we will rebuild our city out of the ashes of
first six months of operation of what the Recreation and crime and violence and into a shining example of peace,
Parks Department now calls SR CHOICE (Community prosperity, and renewal."
Helping Our Indispensable Children Excel) notes
that "88 percent of grantees met or exceeded their Strategies: The elements of the multi -point
performance goal for growth in targeted child /youth comprehensive plan on which the neighborhood- focused
developmental assets as indicated by their child and pilot rests are worth recounting. In describing the mix
youth customers, [and by parents] " In addition, "SR of strategies, Mayor Morris has noted. "A citywide
CHOICE funded services were effective in producing strategy is important because crime knows no geographic
positive changes in behaviors and skills in their children boundaries and we didn't want spillover or displacement
and youth customers in over two- thirds of the targeted of crime to other areas of our city A neighborhood -
changes. Parents indicated that funded services were based strategy was essential in this instance because our
effective in producing three out of four targeted changes resources were limited and we needed to demonstrate
because of the SR CHOICE funded services." to ourselves, our citizens, and the City Council that this
multi- faceted program would do the job." Indeed, many
of the following elements relate to specific steps in the
San Bernardino — A Targeted Area Approach Linked Operation Phoenix neighborhood and to interrelated
with a Broader County Effort steps being taken citywide. The list has its origins in
what citizens said they wanted when asked, and also
The City of San Bernardino, Calif., which has a population clearly suggests the range of partners that the city will
of more than 200,000, launched Operation Phoenix in need to engage.
2006 as a comprehensive, multi -point crime - fighting plan
initially targeted toward a crime - besieged, 20- square block Suppression Elements
area. Half of the points in the strategy focus on prevention,
with the rest spread between intervention and suppression. 1 Hire 40 new police officers to fully and permanently
Elements of the San Bernardino approach of interest to implement the Police Beat System.
other cities — in addition to starting with a targeted, pilot 2. Increase use of gang injunctions and sweeps.
high -crime area — are: 3 Target illegal gun and drug traffickers for tougher
sentencing guidelines.
1 The partnership among the police chief, the city's 4 Coordinate resources with state and federal
chief code enforcement officer, and San Bernardino authorities.
County to lead the effort;
2. Close coordination of the city effort with a
countywide gang prevention strategy; and
Im.lementin• a Ci ide Gan: Violence Reduction Strate 9
Intervention Elements these teams focused on cleaning streets, improving
street lighting, removing graffiti, and recruiting block -
5 Use technology to track violent parolees 24 hours per watch captains.
day, seven days per week.
6 Increase security infrastructure. The city opened a youth center offering daytime
7 Utilize aggressive code enforcement and demolition and afterschool programs — ranging from sports
of abandoned buildings. and homework help to parenting and English as a
8 Aggressively attack nonviolent crime and fully Second Language (ESL) classes — run by Parks and
support community courts. Recreation Department staff. The mayor personally
9 Appoint a mayoral liaison to strengthen police- grilled hamburgers at a series of street corner parties,
neighborhood partnerships. embodying and conveying the message, "I am here
for you." Notably, the city plans to expand Operation
Prevention Elements Phoenix to additional neighborhoods in 2008 based
upon results to date and operating experience gained
10 Join and support San Bernardino County's Healthy over the first 18 months of the effort.
Babies Initiative.
11 Identify affordable, quality pre- school opportunities. Multi - agency and multi - system collaboration.
12 Develop new vocational curriculum with school Operation Phoenix constitutes a collaborative, multi -
district officials. agency approach to solving the variety of issues
13 Expand afterschool programs. resulting from and supporting crime. Police Chief
14 Increase youth sports programs. Michael Billdt is a visible leader of the effort, alongside
15 Create police- sponsored activities (e.g., Police the city's chief code enforcement officer and the San
Athletic League) Bernardino County Children's Network. Mayor Morris
16 Revitalize participation in neighborhood laid the groundwork for this collaboration when
associations. he noted. "At its heart, Operation Phoenix is about
17 Transform San Bernardino from a "city of renters" collaboration. In an era of limited public resources, the
into a "city of owners." only way we can possibly be successful in addressing
18 Adopt civic beautification partnerships. complex and deeply entrenched social and public safety
19 Utilize "Family to Family" and other social service issues is reaching out and bringing in new stakeholders,
prevention efforts. blending their assets and contributions with ours."
20 Utilize Public Health Nursing to address health
concerns in the target communities. The staff director of Operation Phoenix describes the
level of cooperation among agencies in the target area
Other cities may wish to learn from San Bernardino's as "unprecedented in the city's history We have seen
specific methods, which include: collaboration between city and county agencies that
have never worked together before — never knew what
Relatively narrow initial geographic focus: The city each other did in the past. Everybody gets along It's not
identified the 20 -block pilot project area as the place territorial. People aren't complaining about, `This is my
to start due to high rates of criminal activity, child thing, this is your thing ' It's more, `How do we solve
abuse, truancy, and teenage pregnancy Within the the problem. "' To date, more than 30 partner agencies
neighborhood, Operation Phoenix began with the have been involved in Operation Phoenix, enforcing
city surveying residents and getting to know them building codes, curfews, probation, parole, narcotics,
at neighborhood parties, hearing their concerns, and truancy laws and in delivering child protection,
cracking down on the most violent offenders, and public health, drug, alcohol, and mental health services.
delivering services through volunteers and city teams. In
conjunction with the stepped up suppression measures,
Im.lernentin• a Ci ide Gan: Violence Reduction Straw: 10
Close city- county coordination: Operation Phoenix, as foundation called the Operation Phoenix Foundation. The
a city-led effort, also constitutes an extension of the pre- foundation has as its major aim sustaining the prevention
existing countywide gang reduction strategy adopted in and intervention programs that are so prominent in
consultation with the city in 2005 Through the initial Operation Phoenix. Over the past year, the foundation has
participation of the county Children's Network in the raised $600,000 from private sources. Fundraising has also
leadership of Operation Phoenix, county government occurred through innovative means such as sharing ticket
agencies and services remain closely involved. Examples revenues from concerts held at city venues.
of the county agencies involved include the Probation
Department, the District Attorney's Office, and the Results: With just over one and one -half years' experience,
Departments of Public and Behavioral Health and Operation Phoenix can already point to results in at least
Children's Services. San Bernardino City Unified School two forms: reductions in key crime statistics, and improved
District has also been an important partner. residents' perceptions of neighborhood safety. For instance,
a careful city-county review of crime statistics conducted at
Measure Z and the Operation Phoenix Foundation. the one -year point found that violent crime fell 21 percent
San Bernardino has taken two major steps to obtain and citywide and 38 percent in the target neighborhood in
appropriately direct resources for its crime reduction the last six months of 2006 compared with the same time
efforts. First, the mayor and other proponents helped period in 2005 The city's violent crime rate is now at its
shape a ballot initiative to raise funds, and San lowest point in a decade, translating to 2,100 fewer victims,
Bernardino voters passed Measure Z with a 67 percent and robberies and theft in the target neighborhood fell by
majority in the November 2006 election. This will raise more than half. For the first quarter of 2007, violent crime
the city's sales tax by one quarter -cent for the next 15 fell a further five percent in the target neighborhood.
years, for an estimated revenue boost of $5 6 million
each year. A companion bill, Measure YY — setting The city also commissioned a criminal justice professor
up a citizen oversight committee for Measure Z and at California State University-San Bernardino to "check
advising that the funds be used to hire officers and police in" with Operation Phoenix neighborhood residents
support personnel, as well as fund anti -gang and anti- via a survey Baseline statistics were not encouraging.
crime programs — passed with 75 percent support. The Before the launch of Operation Phoenix, only 24
earliest City Council allocations of Measure Z revenues percent said the neighborhood was "somewhat or very
have gone to the Police Department. Active debate and safe," with 72 percent saying it was either "somewhat
discussion continues in the community about allocating unsafe" or "very unsafe." Follow -up surveys in January
future Measure Z revenues to other agencies, such as and July 2007 show significant progress in resident
Parks and Recreation, for youth programs and other perceptions. More than 50 percent now say they
prevention and intervention activities. perceive the neighborhood as "somewhat or very safe,"
and half of respondents to the January survey said the
For maximum flexibility in garnering and allocating funds, neighborhood had become a better place.
San Bernardino also took the step of creating a nonprofit
Im•lementin• a Citywide Gan: Violence Reduction Strate: 11
APPENDIX I
Essential Elements of Developing a Local Action Plan
I. Forge a Common Vision
b Actionable, conveys urgency, and retains freshness even with constant use.
b Summed up in a catchy phrase that inspires and stimulates action.
* Linked to a bold goal and /or a single indicator.
c The mayor and other leaders act as carriers and proclaimers of the vision.
Examples of a Citywide Vision.
• Salinas: "A City at Peace."
• Santa Rosa. "Reclaim our youth for their families, schools, communities and futures."
• San Jose: "Safe and healthy youth connected to their families, schools, communities, and their futures."
Examples of a Vision Linked to Bold Objectives.
• Santa Rosa. "Cut gang violence in half in five years."
• San Jose: "Keep San Jose `the safest big city in America. "'
• Fresno. "Build environments where gang members and `wanna -be' gang members obtain educational services, job
skills, and social skills to achieve success in a socially acceptable manner."
II. Engage All Stakeholders
* Sectors: Public, Private, Nonprofit
• Example Mayor's Office, Chamber of Commerce, Boys and Girls Club
b Roles: Professional (e.g., business, medical), community
• Example• trauma room doctor, neighborhood watch captain
* Systems and Services (e.g., city, county, state, and federal)
• Example. Parks and Recreation, Probation, District Attorney, and U.S Attorney
* Levels (front -line, mid - level, and leadership)
• Example streetworker, police lieutenant, mayor
III. Develop Strategies
* Broad range to reflect and respond to the severity of the gang problem.
• Use language shared and agreed upon by all stakeholders.
Balance prevention, intervention, suppression, and the moral voice of community
Examples.
• San Jose:
• Developing and implementing an "asset- based" service delivery system aimed at connecting and leveraging
intervention resources;
Im .lementin • a Ci ide Gan • Violence Reduction Straw 12
• Creating a Crisis Response Protocol aimed at keeping schools, community centers, and neighborhoods safe;
• Equipping Task Force members with skills necessary to re- direct youth,
• Creating an education and awareness campaign regarding the risk factors affecting youth and resources available
to them, and
• Integrating San Jose's strategy with local, state and national initiatives.
• Santa Rosa.
• Developing an awareness /education campaign regarding the risk factors affecting youth and the resources
available to them,
• Increasing the number of prevention programs with priority placed on high -risk neighborhoods;
• Increasing intervention services and creating positive opportunities for high -risk and gang - involved youth and
families;
• Increasing enforcement efforts of serious and violent crime and enhancing a sense of public safety; and
• Creating a delivery system and progress measures.
• Fresno:
• Tough enforcement;
• Removing gang members from the gang lifestyle;
• Preventing "wanna -bes" from escalating into gang membership;
• Increasing the number of gang members in the legitimate workforce and /or back into school.
• San Bernardino:
• Decentralization of city services with a focus on the area hardest hit by crime ( "Operation Phoenix ")
IV Share Accountability
* Develop common definitions of outcomes and services.
* Establish specific targets for outputs and outcomes.
* Clarify roles for individual team members and their agencies.
* Publicize goals and desired results to raise awareness and a sense of ownership
Examples
• Establish specific targets for outputs (e.g., number of meetings held, number of new teachers and police hired,
etc.)
• Establish specific targets for outcomes (e.g , reduction in crime and truancy rates; increase in graduation rates;
more reporting of trouble from distrustful, violence - plagued neighborhoods.)
Im .le}nentin : a Citywide Gan • Violence Reduction Strate • 13
V Coordinate the Initiative
CJ Create coordination and communication mechanisms.
) Align and strengthen existing efforts.
* Identify a point person who staffs the effort.
* Identify individuals and organizations with the capacity and mandate to implement and report on gang
prevention initiatives.
Examples.
• Divide work by task (e.g., a Policy Team and a Technical Team) or by geography (e.g., assign a coordinator to lead
each division within a city or assign by neighborhood "hot spots ")
• Ensure close linkages between convening entities such as a Mayor's Task Force or Blue Ribbon Commission and
specific goals, objectives, progress monitoring, and sharing of results.
VI. Involve Leadership The Mayor's Central Role
* The mayor needs to be visible and fully supportive — the main champion if possible.
* Other mayoral roles include a moral voice, convener, framer, and reporter of results.
* The mayor connects city efforts "upstream" to county, state, and federal policies and "downstream" to
neighborhoods, residents, and volunteers.
Examples
• The mayors of San Jose and Santa Rosa help chair citywide gang prevention task forces to monitor progress of
citywide plans. Salinas Mayor Dennis Donahue titled his maiden State of the City speech, "City at Peace."
• San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris has shared his city's work with county, state, and federal officials. As a way of
personally connecting with all citizens, especially those who feel most disconnected, he has spent several weekends
barbequing hamburgers and hot dogs on some of the city's most crime - plagued streets.
Im•lementin• a Citywide Gan: Violence Reduction Strate$ 14
APPENDIX 2
Planning Checklist
Remember the Ultimate Goal.
• Development of a new social norm, shared by all in the city, that gang- related violence will not be tolerated and that help
will be provided to those in gangs and those on the verge of joining gangs. In other words: clear consequences and clear
offers of help.
Core Assumptions.
• Need to stop gang violence and build vital communities that do not produce gangs.
• Enforcement and provision of services are not antithetical concepts.
• Isolation kills.
• Need to transcend fear -based (e.g. "superpredator ") strategies.
• Need to get beyond blame: all share responsibility; all can do something.
Guiding Questions for the Plan Development Team
• Is the leadership clear? Is your mayor fully, visibly involved?
• Does your team have a compelling vision statement?
• Are your goals clear?
• Are your key stakeholders involved? If not, have you identified those not participating? Do you have ways to
involve them?
• Have you set up a process for accountability — tracking and measuring results?
• Are your strategies broad and balanced, including roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders?
• Is your mechanism for collaboration sound and accepted?
• Does your collaboration encourage participants to do business in a different way (as opposed to simply more
police, more teachers, more, more, more )?
• Are you listening to and involving those "most under the gun," communicating that you are doing "with" not "to "?
• Are you prepared to be candid about your difficulties /failures?
• Do you have plans to celebrate your successes?
This strategy paper was written by Andrew Moore, senior fellow at the National League of Cities' (NLC)
Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute) John Calhoun, senior consultant at the YEF
Institute and former president and CEO of the National Crime Prevention Council, provided overall editorial
direction. The strategies described in this paper are derived from the California Cities Gang Prevention
Network, a 13 -city initiative sponsored by NLC and the National Council on Crime and Delinquency and
generously supported by The California Endowment, The California Wellness Foundation, the East Bay
Community Foundation, and the Richmond Children's Foundation.
Im.lementin: a Citywide Gan: Violence Reduction Strate: 15
National League of Cities' Institute for Youth, Education, and Families
The National League of Cities (NLC) is the oldest and largest national
' a organization representing municipal governments throughout the United
441 4,11,110 States. Its mission is to strengthen and promote cities as centers of
opportunity, leadership, and governance. Working in partnership with the
49 state municipal leagues, NLC serves as a resource to and advocate' for
National League of Cities the more than 19,000 cities, towns, and villages it represents.
The Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute), a special
entity within NLC, helps municipal leaders take action on behalf of
the children, youth, and families in their communities. Responsive to crca 14'
municipal leaders on a wide range of issues, the YEF Institute focuses on
five core program areas: education and afterschool, youth development;
early childhood success; safety of children and youth, and family
Institute for Youth, Education, and Families
economic success.
National Council on Crime and Delinquency
The National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD), founded in 1907, is a
Center/wild nonprofit organization that promotes effective, humane, fair, and economically sound
eo „,, „owg the so„ggtefo, ji„i„, solutions to family, community, and justice problems. NCCD conducts research,
promotes reform initiatives, and seeks to work with individuals, public and private
NCCD organizations, and the media to prevent and reduce crime and delinquency