NCJ Number
169023
Date Published
1997
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This report describes the model program developed by the Department of Public Safety in Norwalk, Calif. to address street gangs, violence, and crime in schools; the program has evolved into a model for cities and law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
Abstract
The community effort is credited for the decline in the city's crime rate and its placement on the FBI's list of the 25 safest cities of its size. The City of Norwalk brought the crucial components of the various law enforcement, school, probation, parole, prosecution, courts, community, and family guidance agencies together to work as a team to reach a common objective effectively. Efforts include neighborhood and community-based policing, active curfew and truancy enforcement, a parent responsibility law, a community service work program for youth and their parents, a special juvenile probation program, a civil injunction program directed against street gangs, and a safe housing and property enhancement program. Other components include school safety commissions, a family intervention team, and ordinances to address specific issues. Figures, forms, and newspaper article