NCJ Number
158085
Journal
University of Dayton Law Review Volume: 20 Issue: 2 Dated: (Winter 1995) Pages: 733-738
Date Published
1995
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The mayor of Kansas City, Mo., supports the crime prevention measures of the Federal 1994 Anti-Crime Bill, explaining how community policing and "Mayor's Night Hoops," two programs that would be funded under the bill, have worked in his city.
Abstract
Crime in many of the major cities of the United States is a symptom of two decades of systematic neglect of the needs of children and urban centers by the White House, Congress and the judiciary, the business sector, and the general public. Policy has responded only to crisis in a reactive, often punitive way. In its attention to crime prevention programs, the 1994 Anti- Crime Bill supports 100,000 new police officers, community policing, "midnight" basketball programs, and other social programs. Community policing has worked in the neighborhoods of Kansas City. Based on the success of pilot programs, seven new Community Action Network Centers have been opened throughout the city. Each center features three key components: two community police officers, one codes inspector, and one community mobilizer. The primary responsibility of the police officers is to develop a rapport with residents and acquaint themselves with all facets of the neighborhood. The codes inspector works with volunteers and residents to address neighborhood blight, and the neighborhood mobilizer works one-on-one with residents to deal with personal problems such as substance abuse and domestic violence. Although midnight basketball was ridiculed by many in the debate on the Anti-Crime Bill, it has proven its worth in Kansas City. Games are played on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights throughout the summer, from 10:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. Security guards are on hand, and all players pass through metal detectors. In the 3 years of the program, there has not been a single violent incident, even though many of the participants belong to rival gangs. Preliminary indications are that crime is down in the basketball neighborhoods during the games. Every recreation program that can be developed is a crime prevention tool. 11 footnotes