NCJ Number
138664
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 19 Issue: 8 Dated: (August 1992) Pages: 26-29,51
Date Published
1992
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes the Federal Weed and Seed Program, which is designed both to counter street-level drug trafficking and provide community development that will reduce drug demand, and reports on the status of the program in various cities.
Abstract
There are four basic steps to Operation Weed and Seed. The first step is to identify the neighborhoods that should be eligible. For most cities, the neighborhoods are selected based on the amount of blatant drug dealing and the impact drugs and crime have on the community. In step two, the police make widespread drug busts designed to keep the drug dealers off the street and close the crack houses. In step three, a special community policing team enters the neighborhoods and becomes a visible force, as it supports the community and keeps pressure on the drug dealers and criminals. One of the primary responsibilities of the community policing unit is to organize crime watch programs and organize the community to assume responsibility for the quality of neighborhood life. In step four, the community is "seeded" with a variety of special programs to increase awareness, strengthen the community against drug dealers and drug crime, equip the community with strategies on dealing with drugs and drug crime, and mount educational programs to help youth resist drug use. This article summarizes the status of Operation Weed and Seed in Kansas City, Omaha, Trenton, and Philadelphia.