Community crime walks
Here's a question from a Baltimore County resident:
"Hi, Peter--here's a question I've been pondering, and I thought you might want to consider it as something to explore in your blog. How effective are citizen patrols? In my position I've encountered many different philosophies, and I wonder if there is any hard evidence one way or another.
"Our neighborhood has only an email crime alert system, but nearby neighborhoods have organized COP groups, where people volunteer to patrol the neighborhood (typically for one day a month). Some have magnetic COP stickers you are supposed to slap on your car to make the COP presence more visible. One policeman who attended a neighborhood gathering said that patrolling incognito might actually be more effective. Some neighborhoods take the position that "if you live here, you are automatically part of our COP," but there are no organized patrols. They ask everyone to stay alert and report anything suspicious.
"One neighborhood that does perform patrols admitted to me that they hadn't seen much in terms of results--perhaps helping up a neighbor who had fallen, or getting newspapers off the front lawn. My feeling is that people who volunteer to patrol make themselves feel good about "doing something," particularly when there is bad news that strikes close to home."
I've been on several community crime walks and the one thing you quickly learn: you won't see any crime! In most parts of Baltimore, they're called COP walks, for Citizens on Patrol. The major in the Easten District, however, prefers to call them Good Neighbor Walks.
That's actually closer to the truth. The idea is not to confront criminals but to engage neighbors. If people see their friends and others from the community out walking with police they might be more inclined to help by calling 911 or even to stop littering. It might scare corner drug dealers away for a minute but even they might become more suspect if they know that every once in a while residents and police could be walking by. It shows them the community isn't scared to stand up to them.
Of course, it all depends on the level of organization in support. One of the best walks I went on was in Charles Village. They run a professional community group that levies taxes, and thus are far more organized than others (a paid staff certainly doesn't hurt). This walk a few months ago included not only police but the president of the city council and even more importantly, officials from the housing and zoning departments. Not top level officials, but the ones who actually can write citations. They were walking through the neighborhood listening to complaints about problem houses and alleys, and recording information on the spot. I can't think of a better way to get action and show off problems. The fact that the city council president was there no doubt ensured that the paperwork would not get lost.
It's the little things that matter in a community -- the trash, street lights, problem bars, houses allowed to rot. These walks may or may not have an impact on crime, but they certainly can prove to the city or county that the residents here care.
