Crime policy is back as a "hot button" issue. That may surprise some observers
who assumed that recent nationwide reductions in violent crime would take the issue "off
the table." But, lest we forget, crime levels remain dangerously high by historical
standards.
What's happening now is a very healthy debate over exactly how to further reduce crime.
Many conservatives continue to insist that longer mandatory sentences for convicted criminals,
including juveniles, is the "silver bullet" that will make communities safer.
Meanwhile, New Democrats are building on President Bill Clinton's
impressive success in making Democrats a credible crime-fighting party by supporting not only
tougher sentencing, but an array of ideas for helping communities fight crime and the disorder it
breeds.
Exhibit A is Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who is
continuing the legacy of her father, Robert F. Kennedy, as a crime-fighting
progressive.
Our May 22, 1998 DLC Update drew attention to Townsend's leadership in
making Maryland the first state to implement widespread drug testing of parolees and
probationers (see Idea of the Week: Fighting Drugs With Coerced Abstinence) But, Townsend has also been the prime mover in another initiative that exemplifies New Democrat thinking on crime: "Hot Spots."
The idea behind "Hot Spots" is to focus extra resources on high-crime areas, in
conjunction with community-based strategies for reducing crime and disorder. A year ago in
Maryland, thirty six neighborhoods formally became "Hot Spots" -- one in each
county that together accounted for 11 percent of the state's violent crime. In each "Hot
Spot" a locally-developed strategy guides both state and local resources. One common
feature has been the creation of community-based teams of police and probation officers, jointly
supervising high-risk adult and juvenile offenders. Other initiatives have been tailored to
specific neighborhoods, such as nuisance abatement, after-school programs for high-risk youth,
or breaking up drug markets.
"Hot Spots" avoids three common mistakes made in many previous efforts to
target high-crime areas:
Mistake 1: Many police departments conduct "sweeps" of
high-crime areas--often commercial corridors--that either displace criminal activity into adjacent
areas or only temporarily interrupt long-term crime patterns. Alternatively,
"Hot Spots" covers entire neighborhoods, and involves a sustained commitment of
resources, not just a one-or-two-shot "strike."
Mistake 2: Most "attacks" on high-crime areas involve only
the police, which narrows the effort to solely those measures police can take.
Alternatively, "Hot Spots" involves probation officers, prosecutors,
social services agencies, schools, and community leaders--a combination that permits a flexible
strategy appropriate to each neighborhood.
Mistake 3: Some of the "zero tolerance" campaigns recently
launched in high-crime neighborhoods have employed tactics that actually reduce community
support for law enforcement, such as roadblocks where the citizenry at large is exposed to
constant harassment and possible arrest for petty automobile violations.
Alternatively, "Hot Spots" focuses heavily on community involvement in
fighting crime and disorder, and makes peaceful use of public spaces, such as parks, a primary
objective.
Best of all, "Hot Spots" seems to be working. Though the initiative is only one
year old, initial results are strongly positive. Robberies dropped by two-thirds in an Anne
Arundel County neighborhood. Overall violent crime dropped by 25 percent in a Wicomico
County neighborhood. Among other "Hot Spots," drug market activity dropped in
Easton, burglary and theft were cut sharply in Edgewood, and vandalism, robbery, and auto theft
went down quickly in Mt. Ranier.
Perhaps the most eloquent testimonial to "Hot Spots" came from a man named
Steve Sohansky, owner of an auto parts store located in a Baltimore County
Hot Spot:
"Thank God somebody is doing something that makes sense. I've been critical of
government programs in the past. 'Hot Spots' is the best use of taxpayers' money I've seen in a
long time. It is simple and it just makes sense to have officers located where the crime problems
are."
Simple, and it just makes sense.
