This paper reviews the lessons learned from the implementation of a community policing program initiated in five public housing developments along the 11th Street Corridor in Philadelphia.
The paper presents recommendations that may help other researchers, practitioners, and policy makers better develop, implement, and evaluate programs in the complex community settings of public housing. Attention is given to five implementation concerns: integration with other Public Housing Authority initiatives, integration with the Public Housing Authority Police Department, integration with the community, the culture of the Public Housing Authority, and the need for greater external community involvement. After reviewing crime in public housing and police operations in public housing, the authors discuss how the police enterprise has dealt with public housing, providing examples of several programs designed to make public housing safer. This is followed by a discussion of the public housing context in general and the situation in Philadelphia in particular. A review of the 11th Street Corridor Program is followed by an outline of the implementation difficulties encountered. The concluding section summarizes the lessons learned. The authors note that the results of this study are encouraging, in that they suggest it is possible to structure viable partnerships between the police and the community within public housing contexts. These partnerships, however, require a significant contribution from the police, the community, and especially from the Public Housing Authority. 54 references