Community Concerns: Traffic, Crime, and Drug Strategies

Traffic Problems

The top concern for most neighborhoods and communities.

Ways to address speeding concerns

Warning signs, anti-speeding public awareness campaigns, informing complainants of the actual speeds.

Methods to reduce fear of crime

Increased foot patrols and vehicle patrols in high crime areas, citizen patrols, neighborhood cleanup programs, community education programs, police substations.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design components

Target hardening, changes to the physical environment, community building.

Place-Focused Opportunity Blocking side effects

Diffusion of crime, diffusion of benefits.

Drugs posing greatest threat to communities

CPD, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana.

Seven core areas of the National Drug Strategy

1. Preventing drug use in communities, 2. Integrating treatment for substance abuse into health care, 3. Seeking early intervention opportunities, 4. Breaking the cycle of drug use, crime, and incarceration, 5. Disrupting domestic drug trafficking, 6. Strengthening international partnerships, 7. Improving information systems to better address drug use.

Law enforcement strategies for drug problems

Drug raids, surveillance, undercover operations, arresting sellers and buyers, improving intelligence.

Open drug market vs closed drug market

Know the difference between an open drug market and a closed drug market.

Legislation addressing alcohol abuse effects

Enforcement of legal drinking age, administrative license revocation, lowering the blood alcohol limit to .08, mandatory screening and treatment for people convicted of a DWI, primary enforcement of seatbelt laws.

Federal initiatives to protect youth

Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, America's Promise Alliance, Project Safe Childhood, Safe Start Initiative.

Cornerstone of the community

Family.

Gang statistics in the U.S.

There are 850,000 gang members in more than 30,700 gangs within the U.S.

Types of gangs in the U.S.

Street gangs, prison gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Suspected causes of violence

Access to guns, drugs and alcohol, desensitization to violence, disintegration of the family and community, weakening of the informal social control.

Motivations for hate crimes

Racial bias, sexual orientation bias, religious bias.

Child Development-Community Policing Model

A model for community policing focused on child development.

Violent crime

A type of crime that involves force or threat of force.

Gang

A group of individuals who associate together for social or criminal purposes.

Bullying

Aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions.

Polyvictimization

Experiencing multiple types of victimization.

Peer child abuse

Abuse that occurs among children in a peer context.

Binge drinking

Consuming an excessive amount of alcohol in a short period.

Gateway theory

The theory that the use of less harmful drugs can lead to a future risk of using more dangerous hard drugs.

Asymmetric warfare

Conflict where the opposing forces differ significantly in military power.

Fusion center

A collaborative effort of two or more agencies that provide resources, expertise, and information to detect, prevent, and respond to criminal and terrorist activity.

Terrorism

The unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in pursuit of political aims.

Contagion effect

The spread of behaviors or emotions through a population.

Interoperability

The ability of different systems, devices, or applications to work together.