NCJ Number
146429
Date Published
1993
Length
54 pages
Annotation
This report on a qualitative assessment of Wilmington's Eastside Substance Abuse Awareness Program (ESAAP) focuses on how three of the program's components have affected neighborhood drug activity.
Abstract
One of the program's components is enhanced law enforcement efforts that emphasize community policing. A second program component is the establishment of a neighborhood advisory board, a block captain network, and neighborhood watch groups. The third component is an increase in the number and types of social, education, and rehabilitative services available to neighborhood residents. The latter includes the establishment of additional tutoring programs for neighborhood youth, parent training programs, substance abuse education, counseling, and treatment services. ESAAP also emphasizes community awareness of existing programs. The evaluation was based on interviews with the key police personnel and community members, who initiated, designed, and implemented community policing in Wilmington, a review of relevant documents, and observation of the Eastside neighborhood and a comparison neighborhood. The qualitative assessment concludes that without the ESAAP and its community policing component, there would have been nothing to stop the illicit drug situation in the Eastside inner-city black community from reaching the levels of two comparison neighborhoods. To data, the ESAAP has not solved the illicit drug problem, but it has been contained. The neighborhood's social order, police methods, and community self-awareness are slowly changing as intended. 10-item bibliography and appended interview questions