Transcript The Weed and Seed Program

The Weed and Seed
Program
AJS 270
Week Five
The Beginning
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Established by the U.S.
Department of Justice in
1991.
Operation Weed and Seed.
Federally funded through the
U.S. Department of Justice.
Administered by the
Community Capacity
Development Office (CCDO),
Office of Justice Programs.
Three pilot cities in 1991.
What is it?
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Community-based multiagency approach to law
enforcement, crime
prevention, and neighborhood
restoration.
Designed to weed out crime
and help prevent it from
reoccurring by seeding the
sites with resources.
Addresses drugs, violent
crime, and social problems.
Done through law
enforcement and effective
community policing.
Actively involves citizens to
rebuild their own
communities.
Weed and Seed Strategy
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A strategy.
Aims to control violent crime,
drug trafficking, drug abuse,
drug-related crime, and gang
activity.
Strategy is administered
using a two-prong approach.
Community policing bridges
the Weed and Seed
strategies.
Brings many areas together
under the same goal of
weeding out violent crime and
gang activity while seeding
social services and economic
revitalization.
Steering Committee
evaluates the overall
Fundamental Principles
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Collaboration
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Coordination
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Community
Participation
Leveraging
Resources
Elements of the Strategy
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Law enforcement
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Community-oriented policing.
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Prevention, intervention, and
treatment.
Neighborhood restoration.
Safe Havens
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Every Weed and Seed site is
required to establish a Safe
Haven.
A multi-service center often
housed in a school or
community center.
Many adult and youthoriented services.
Employment opportunities,
counseling, community
gardens, graffiti removal.
With resources, economic
development and physical
improvements to the
neighborhoods are possible.
How to Become a Weed and
Seed Site
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Must notify the U.S. Attorney’s
Office in district of intent to
develop a Weed and Seed strategic
plan.
Community obtains Weed and Seed
Implementation Manual and Official
Recognition Guidelines and
application.
U.S. Attorney can assist the
prospective site with organizing a
steering committee.
Apply for Official Recognition (OR)
by submitting strategic plan to
CCDO for approval.
With OR, site receives eligibility to
apply for funds and priority in
participating in federally sponsored
training and technical assistance
opportunities.
Sustainability
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Long term health and resilience
of the community.
Maintaining the steering
committee as a mechanism for
ongoing implementation of the
Weed and Seed strategy beyond
the term of the grant.
Able to identify and secure
existing and new resources and
funding sources.
Must demonstrate a community
impact.
Arizona Sustainable Safety and
Community Enhancement
Initiative is a statewide example
of an unfunded alternative.
Terms of OR
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Official Recognition is
awarded for five years.
Graduated site is one that
has completed the five years
and maintains its strategic
plan. Continues to develop,
coordinate, and deliver
services that enhance the
quality of life and improve
public safety.
Once graduated, a site may
no longer apply for funds
through the CCDO.
Does it Work?
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Individual sites track their
own progress.
New Haven: during 1999, no
homicides occurred; other
violent crimes in the district
have been reduced.
34 evaluation studies: 21
cities had positive results on
law enforcement’s effect on
crime and 13 cities had
positive results regarding
community safety.
Different studies done on
Weed and Seed results, but
overall the program has had a
tremendous effect on the
nation.
Any Questions?