Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy Essay

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Running head: CHICAGO ALTERNATIVE POLICING STRATEGIES Chicago Alternative Policing Strategies Starlith M. Adams University of Phoenix October 5, 2009 Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy Community policing is a popular strategy throughout the policing world. There are several takes on community policing and no one way is right. During the early nineties, in Chicago, crime rates were increasing, the public was living in fear, and the cops could not combat crime effectively. Trust and good relationships between the police and the community were slowly diminishing. The police department needed something to create a new partnership between the community and police. The result was the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS). In 1993, under the supervision of Police Superintendent, Matt Rodriguez, CAPS was implemented. The city started CAPS in five of their twenty-five police districts, which were diversified economically, racially, and types of crime occurring. In 1994, the other twenty districts joined in. The original five are still test districts for new ideas. The main goal behind CAPS is “if police, residents, and other city agencies work together they can reduce crime.” CAPS consists of four main elements. The first one is increased…show more content…
The lack of awareness among the citizen made it difficult for the partnership to continue to grow. To increase public knowledge, the City used several media outlets, professional athletes, and public outreach programs, using the slogan “Safe Neighborhoods Are Everybody’s Business” to encourage involvement with CAPS. According to The Chicago Community Policing Evaluation Consortium’s 2004 evaluation, awareness was still low among the residents who are Spanish speaking, lower income, younger adults, and men (The Chicago Community Policing Evaluation Consortium,
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