7.7: Identification and analysis of the policy’s current outcomes and unanticipated consequences- Description of policy improvements or enhancements

York City Programs:

COMPSTAT is a single strategy that is ineffective unless integrated with other programs such as nuisance abatement, civil enforcement, directed and targeted patrols (Figure 7.7.1-7.7.4, www.yorkcity.org). The following is a descriptive listing of programs York’s COMPSTAT strategy is interrelated:

This program was enacted as a city ordinance; this legislation contains a host of civil and criminal activities that are considered nuisances. Drug sales, litter, excessive noise, barking dogs, unlawfully dealing with children, and disorderly bars are but a few of the topics contained in this law. Each violation carries with it a set number of points. When a property receives 12 points in a 6-month period, or 18 points in a 12-month period, both the property and business owners (where separate) are required to appear before an independent hearing officer. If the nuisance charge is sustained, the mayor has the authority to close the business for up to one year, and revoke all of the business owner’s certificates to operate a business within the city. Also, the property is posted with signs that declare the location a nuisance, as well the period of closure.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Nuisance Abatement

This police program is a proactive, coordinated approach to improving the livability of York’s neighborhoods by solving multi-faceted, persistent community problems that lowers the quality of life in the City's neighborhoods. This is a proactive approach focusing on the prevention of crime, the proliferation and continued deterioration of exploited neighborhoods. A key goal of this approach is to increase the positive environments, which fosters neighborhood growth and positive perceptions of the City. This approach supports a problem solving method relating to systemic issues impacting blocks of neighborhoods, rather than merely responding to a report after problems occur. The initiative uses traditional policing, combined with code enforcement, community policing, fire inspections and animal control to eliminate the enabling conditions of the problems. It calls upon other government resources and community partners to improve neighborhood livability. Neighborhood Enforcement develops innovative strategies, which combine civil law and criminal law remedies to address quality of life and other crime problems.

Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): Neighborhood Enforcement

City workforce uses the clean sweep concept to target blighted neighborhoods in order to stop further deterioration while increasing the livability of that neighborhood. The Neighborhood Enforcement Unit prioritizes problem properties or neighborhoods using established criteria to address the concerns in the order of priority. Generally, clean sweep details encompass several city blocks at one time. This process better utilizes limited resources from all departments at one time. Abandoned vehicles (previously ticketed or tagged as abandoned) are towed, notice of violations issued and citations where warranted are issued. Property owners are provided an opportunity to respond to the Mayor’s Office within five days of notice to discuss a plan to abate the violation. Property owners are then provided a time line to complete the plan. If the plan is not provided or the violation abated prior to the re-inspection of the area, a citation is issued. Re-inspection of the neighborhood is scheduled within 10-15 days of the clean sweep detail. The properties that remain in violation or have not provided the city with a plan for abating the violation are cited and issued a complaint-tracking number and entered into the system. Nuisance Abatement points are assessed at this time and notification letters to the property owner is sent via the U.S. Mail.

Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\): Clean Sweep Details

The goal of the center is to keep kids safe and to provide help to families and children in need. The York County-City and community partners are to provide a system approach of stemming the rising tide in youth violence. The Curfew Center is an approach providing a one-stop shop center to identify and assist the children. It is readily recognized that is far more efficient and cost effective for early intervention and to fill a void in the child’s life now rather than pay for costly incarceration and drug treatment at a later date. “You cannot arrest your way out of the problem.” The curfew center is designed to attack systemic family and cultural issues through a collaboration of partners. The Center is a concept/facility to access help and not of a punitive measure. While the children are at the center they are under the custody of the police but they have access to counselors, mental health advocates, drug and alcohol counselors, Juvenile Probation and Children and Youth personnel.

Figure \(\PageIndex{4}\): Curfew Center

Housing Strategy-Partnerships in York, Pennsylvania:

Deteriorating neighborhoods of crime, blight, poverty and poor housing is the typical “Broken Window” scenario. The City of York in its devising and implementing COP/POP strategies found an abundance of partnerships, one being The Ole-Town East Project. Jane Conover, (personal communications, 2011) V.P. of York County Community Foundation (formerly Program Coordinator of Ole Town East-Elm Street Project) emphasized several positive aspects in current housing situations.

The Elm Street Project is a state funded project (Elm Street Funding is the name of the State Funding Program Source) that began in 2004 with numerous partners and additional funding sources. During the program’s existence she notes the project has reduced criminal incidents by 39% (see policing section for programs used); made landlords more responsible and put some out of business; increased livability and quality of life in the designated area; broke down existing barriers; increased neighbor-to-neighbor visibility; increased membership in the neighborhood association; and the bringing together of a diverse neighborhood of African Americans, Hispanics, Gays and Lesbians, whites, and the elderly. (To emphasize this point, see Appendices A. - Ms. Betty’s Story.).

According to J. Conover (2011) she credits partnerships for reinventing the neighborhood due to the access of the Police Commissioner and Police Command (regular attending neighborhood meetings) and has not only increased home ownership but pre-housing crash, property values increased from $45,000 to $75,000 (Figure 7.7.5; 7.7.6 Olde Town East reported outcomes).

A total of 71% of the residents plan to stay in their home, an improvement from 68% in 2008 and 67% in 2007. The percentage of residents reporting that crime is not a problem in their neighborhood has steadily increased since 2007. Feelings of safety are at the highest levels they have been since the first surveys in 2005. The number of criminal incidents has declined by 39%. The average sales price for residential property has more than doubled since 2000.

Figure \(\PageIndex{5}\): Olde Town East-Elm Street Project

Imperative to community success requires community support and partnerships, specifically when attempting to determine which fire to put out next. Hotspots or areas of high crime or high incidents of incivility as derived from police data information system- have generated substantial debate as to how they are identified, whether it should be by data only or police officer’s impressions (Hotspots, 2008).

Project Component	Outcome	Target Completion Date	Progress This Period 1/30/09
Develop a Sustainable Organization	Five new residents become dues-paying members of the neighborhood association each year	12/31/2005, 06, 07, 08, 09	19 residents became due paying members this period.
Improve Neighborhood Safety	The average score on Quality of Life surveys conducted annually among residents increases by 5% each year The annual number of reported criminal incidents declines by 10% (From 321 in 2003 to 289 in 2009) The number of trees in the neighborhood increases by 50% from 148 to 300 by 2010 A park is developed in the 200 blocks of E. Princess & Prospect Streets	06/01/2006, 07, 08, 09 06/01/2006, 07, 08, 09 12/31/2005, 06, 07, 08, 09 12/31/2006	The 2008 data shows that the overall quality of life index showed an improvement of 11 points (35%), from 32% to 43%. Criminal incidents decreased by 25% b/w ’07-’08. None this period Park completed.
Improve Neighborhood Economy & Image	The percentage of owner occupied housing units increases from 24% of total to 27% of total by 2010, an increase of about 36 units The average number of days to sell a property in the neighborhood declines by 7 days (from 74 days to 67 days) by 2010 The average residential sales price increases by $5,000 from $26,988 in 2004 to $31,988 in 2010 The average household income increases by $5,000 from $24,557 in 2000 to $29,557 in 2010 The number of building permits issued for properties increases by 5% per year	06/01/2010 06/01/2010 06/01/2010 06/01/2010 12/31/2005, 06, 07, 08, 09	None for this period. The average number of days on the market increased by 5 days between 2007-2008 (from 65 to 70 days). The average sales price decreased by $8,309.85 or 33% between 2007-2008. (from $68,135.95 to $45,826.10) Interim census estimates showed no significant change between income in 2000 and estimated income in 2004. In 2008, the number of building permits declined, but overall, building permits have doubled since 2001.
Improve Physical Environment	The annual number of housing code complaints reported in the neighborhood decline by 20% by 2010 The vacancy rate among housing units decreases from 18% to 15% by 2010.	12/31/2009 06/01/2010	There were 34 housing code violations reported in 2008, down by 13% since 2004. One vacant building rehabbed by Habitat was inhabited this period. Unfortunately, four homes were burned this period and three families relocated.

Figure \(\PageIndex{6}\): Olde Town East-Elm Street Project

In terms of reducing crime and increasing the quality of life it is an imprecise formula and often not practical nor possible to describe and support a singular strategy to remedy the situation due to the transient nature of the problem, longevity of the problem or how the neighborhood perceives the issue (Hotspots, 2008). As was the situation in York where resources are scant and public expectations are high. Intelligence-led policing originated in Kent Police England in the early 1990’s with the sole purpose of reducing the large volumes of crime (Intelligence-Led Policing, 2008). Intelligence today have a host of origins and as many legal obstacles for mining and purging. The information garnered by the street officer is usually genuine but at times has its origins from many input areas (neighbors, school officers, gang intelligence, etc.) and must be analyzed removing supposition and conjecture. For purpose of this discussion intelligence as to type and origin are not as important as is what is done with the information.

Intelligence Strategy in York, Pennsylvania

York City Police Department in developing COP/POP strategies utilized intelligence or data, specifically as it relates to guns, drugs and gangs have developed two types of patrol techniques. They are: Directed Patrol and Targeted Patrol. Directed patrol is generally the storm and warns type of patrol used to address a problem or may require high visibility to quell a problem or permit the officers to gain greater insight as to the systemic issues. The latter is exactly what it sounds like, Targeting the criminal enterprise or individual or establishment that is creating the problem. This technique may consume every tool in the tool box to identify players, places and ancillary groups or gangs creating the havoc.

Posited by this study and clearly supported by Eck and Maguire (2000) through their research concluding that COMPSTAT is not a stand-alone strategy; “though there is little evidence to support the assertion that COMPSTAT caused the decline in homicides in NYC, COMPSTAT is only one manifestation of focused policing in general and directed patrolling in particular” (Cited by Weisburd et al., 2003, p.235). COMPSTAT is a goal-oriented, intelligence driven, accountability process that will work in conjunction with other strategies. As illustrated by TEAM, COMPSTAT could work in most if not all criminal justice agencies and as discussed in the preceding it provides opportunity for input from all environments involved. The result for the City of York is that from 2003 to 2010 violent crime dropped 10% and with the strategies in place and if staffing remains at least similarly equivalent, it should continue to drop as indicated in tables listed for first quarter Uniform Crime Report for 2010 in comparison with the first quarter of 2009.

As most effective solutions are multi-facet so goes the case in York, Pennsylvania; the police, albeit an important component of the strategies used is only a smaller faction of the entire policy solution sought. The remainder of this discussion is dedicated to partnership solutions in addition to housing and neighborhood restoration already provided.