An 18-month-long law enforcement collaboration with community programs resulted in a drop in serious and violent crime rates.
Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester declared a new approach to violent crime prevention by collaborating with community groups, according to a story by Rosalio Ahumada in Sacto 911.
Following this announcement, the City Manager repositioned to the police chief the oversight of the Office of Violence Prevention. The repositioning gave the chief control of funding for community organizations that work with the office.
“When we talk about collaboration, she gave us the resources to serve the people in those specific areas. We were able to go out and build relationships. We were able to go out and help people help themselves,” said Mervin Brookins, founder of the community organization Brother 2 Brother.
The City of Sacramento reported an overall 18% drop in crime between January and September of 2022, including a 40% decrease in homicides and an equal 40% drop in rape cases. Compared to the first nine months of 2022, aggravated assaults fell by 21% and robberies by 6.1%, stated in the article.
The strategy set out to work side-by-side with community organizations that would focus intercession and deterrence services on the sources of criminal behavior, like poverty, and abuse of drugs and alcohol.
The article said the police chief did not want to have a large police presence in communities, but wanted to concentrate on small clusters of persons responsible for criminal behavior. The strategy put emphasis on crime prevention, particularly in areas most impacted.
Concentrating on hotspots of violence, the strategy identified the most violent parts in a seven-square-mile area, which included Del Paso Heights, Oak Park, and North Laguna, noted the story.
The chief chose organizations that “have a history of success and experience building partnerships” and “a proven track record to do this type of work,” said the article.
The announcement received disapproval from the City Council and community groups not chosen to receive funding, the article said, but “the Police Department’s strategy appears to be working.” The Sacramento City Council appropriated $3.2 million in funding for community organizations motivated to prevent violent crimes, like Brookins’ group Brother 2 Brother.
Brookins said he and many others at first did not understand Lester’s data-driven approach to policing, calling the plan “kind of sketchy.” He later learned that the approach meant that community groups and police had to work together.
Officers who see distressed youth now may inform a community intervention group for help without having to resort to juvenile detention, according to Sacto 911.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg praised the collaboration of law enforcement and community organizations. “You see it every single time we have a tragedy or troubled times in Sacramento,” Steinberg told reporters. “We gather here like this in the bad times and in the difficult times, and people support one another.”
