NCJ Number
184995
Date Published
2000
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This section on what works in "Empowerment Zones" and "Enterprise Communities" describes seven effective programs that pertain to public safety.
Abstract
On December 21, 1994, the Clinton Administration launched an initiative that designated 104 distressed communities across the Nation as Empowerment Zones (EZs) and Enterprise Communities (ECs). In January 1999, the Federal Government expanded the EZ/EC initiative through a second round of designations for 20 new urban and rural EZs and for 20 new rural ECs. by providing tax incentives, technical assistance, and direct grants, the initiative helps to spur entrepreneurial excitement and private investment in communities that have experienced severe economic hardship. This document focuses on public safety programs and projects that exemplify the principles of the EZ/EC initiative. The public safety programs profiled include a community policing effort in Manchester, N.H.; a community policing strategy that has reduced the crime rate in Baltimore, Md.; a neighborhood violence prevention collaboration in Flint, Mich.; a partnership that aids domestic violence victims in East Prairie, Mo.; and a crime victims advocacy program in Lock Haven, Pa. Two Weed and Seed programs in Miami/Dade County, Fla., and Akron, Ohio, are also profiled. These programs involve four components: law enforcement; community policing; prevention, intervention, and treatment; and neighborhood restoration.