Like many other cities, Monrovia had neighborhoods where landlords rented to undesirable tenants, ignored routine maintenance and refused to make repairs. The situation quickly led to deplorable living conditions and the neighborhoods often became centers for crime, drug dealing and gang hangouts. Officers responding to calls handled them with little or no community involvement. As a result, the causes of incidents were not resolved, and the cycle repeated again and again. Community Activity Policing (CAP) is dedicated to the concept that the community itself must change the environment that breeds crime. This comprehensive program involved the cooperation efforts of individuals, private and public agencies, schools, ministry, the city and the community. A task force made up of representatives from various city departments and schools as well as parole and probation personnel and police chaplains serves as the nucleus of the program, collecting intelligence, analyzing incidents and formulating corrective actions. Areas that are most negatively affecting the city are targeted, and law enforcement begins an intensive effort to bond with the community by forming a citizen activist group to assist in planning and developing corrective actions. This "bonding" is the basis for the program's success. Since CAP began in 1990, there has been a 35% reduction in Monrovia's Part I crime. Every resource, from the Mayor and Council members to city departments and local communities, is used to solve problems. Specialized law enforcement programs combat high profile criminal activity. Uniformed bike patrols allow greater mobility, and face-to-face dialogue with residents and business owners in targeted areas ensure that the goals of CAP are achieved. A specially trained, four-person team networks with other agencies to control, track and combat gang and drug activity. There's even a citizen's academy and parenting classes hosted by the police department to provide classroom instruction on the police function and methods of improving parenting skills. CAP has become a routine part of daily activities and the city has been able to solve several long festering problems. It is not just a philosophy of policing and a set of techniques . It involves a caring outlook toward solving community problems and a commitment to do something about them. CAP works because everyone is working together.
© 1996 URLy Sylke All Rights Reserved CREDITS