Weed & Seed
Andrea M. Vey,
Director, Crime & Disorder Analysis Unit
Lawrence Police Department
Weed & Seed
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History
Components & Definition
Requirements
Application Process
Data
Manchester, NH Weed & Seed Strategy
History of Weed & Seed
• Created in 1991 by the Department of Justice
– Currently under the Community Capacity Development
Office.
– Considered a “strategy” more so than a program or
project
– Four Fundamental Principles
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Collaboration
Coordination
Community Participation
Leveraging of Resources
What is Weed & Seed?
• Community-based multi-agency
approach to:
• Law Enforcement,
• Crime Prevention
• and Neighborhood Restoration
• Aims to Prevent, Control and Reduce:
• Violent Crime
• Drug Abuse
• And Gang Activity
What is Weed & Seed?
• Intention: to bring communities and
resources together to prevent and control
crime while improving the quality of life in
neighborhoods
– In 1991, the pilot program began with 3 sites.
– In 2005, over 300 neighborhoods had been
designated as Weed & Seed sites.
– Massachusetts = 11 sites
• Lowell, Lawrence, Boston to name a few.
Weed Definition
• Work to “weed out”
– violent and property crime,
– drugs,
– and in some areas, gangs.
• Weed out crime by utilizing:
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overtime patrols,
undercover surveillance of drug activity,
directed enforcement
street sweeps, drug raids, and other tactical
activities.
Weed Definition
• Partnership between:
– Local, state and federal law enforcement
– State and federal prosecution agencies
• Law Enforcement
– Local, state, and federal agencies
• cooperation and sharing
– equipment & manpower
– Prosecution
• Some state crimes
– District Attorney
• Some federal
– US Attorney General for State
Seed Definition
• Social service organizations, community
restoration groups, residents and others come
together to “seed” the community with:
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Needed programs,
Projects,
Training,
Services,
And other things needed by the community to
revitalize it.
Seeding
• Human services that encompass:
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Prevention
Intervention
Treatment
Neighborhood revitalization
Seed continued…
• Many areas utilize programs targeted at
youth to:
– decrease drug use and violence
– increase positive activities and relationships.
• There is also a focus on:
– Developing sustainable partnerships
– Continuation of services after funding ends.
Community Policing
• An integral part of the Weed & Seed program
• Bridges the gap between the tough, aggressive
weeding and the softer seeding.
• Key concepts of Community Engagement &
Problem Solving
Requirements
• Approval of US Attorney
– From the state the target area resides in
– Must sign off on Official Recognition
– Acts as form of leadership with all law
enforcement agencies
– Leader in pooling resources
– Additional funding source
Requirements
• Designation of at least one Safe Haven
– One place to serve as a multipurpose service
center
• Several agencies come together to serve the
public at one location
Requirements
• Steering Committee
– Made up of members of many organizations
– Members of organizations who are partners in
W&S
– All attempt to work together to fulfill Strategy
Application Process
• Sites must first be “designated” by the Executive
Office of Weed & Seed
– prior to applying for any funding.
• After official designation, sites can apply for funding
every year.
– for a total of 5 years per site.
• Cities can have multiple Weed & Seed programs
running consecutively in different areas.
Application Process continued…
• Designation is a long, extensive process of
selecting a target area based on:
– crime statistics,
– social needs
– and neighborhood deterioration
• Need is shown by utilizing sources such as:
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Crime Statistics from local police and FBI
Census data for social indicators
HUD data
Individual City Department data
And other sources
Information & Data
• It was necessary to provide large amounts of
data about Manchester, NH for designation.
• Necessary to determine target area.
• Necessary to justify need for designation and
funding.
2001 Index Crime Rate per 100,000
4160
4500
4000
3228
3500
3000
2321
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
New Hampshire
Manchester
Nation
Information & Data
Crime Rates in Target Area
• 50.2% of all calls for service were in the target
area
– but the target area only accounts for about 15% of the
population (1999)
• 80% of drug related offenses
• about 62% of REPORTED domestic assaults
• roughly 60% of aggravated assaults
Crime Rates
• 1999 Uniform Crime
Report from the FBI
• Part One crimes
Crime Rate per 100,000 Population
8000
7000
6000
– Murder, rape, burglary, 5000
assault, robbery,
larceny, auto theft, and 4000
3000
arson.
2000
NH
1000
e rty
0
Pro
p
– Burglary, larceny, auto
theft
Manchester
Part
One
• Property Crime
Target Area
Crime Rates
Crime Rate per 100,000 Population
700
600
500
400
Target Area
300
Manchester
200
NH
100
0
Violent Crimes
• 1999 Uniform Crime
Report from the FBI
• Violent Crime
– Murder, rape, robbery
and assault
• Target Area has
highest rates of crime
in entire city in any
category
Information & Data
Census data
• Important to understanding social
characteristics of the area
• Population and density info
• Social indicators, such as:
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1990 – 81% renter occupied housing in Target
Area
50% for Manchester as a whole
Manchester
• Uncharacteristic of New Hampshire
• Target area even less characteristic of New
Hampshire
• Several races and ethnicities
• Many languages and dialects spoken
• Immigrants from many countries
Census Data
Indicator
Target
Area
29%
Manchester NH
10%
7%
Renter
Occupied
81.1%
54%
32%
Elementary
ESL students
27%
10%
1.01%
Children in
poverty
Percent of Families with Female
Householder, No Husband Present, And
Below the Poverty Level
Source: Census 2000
Percent of Persons 16 to 19 Not Enrolled in
School and Not a High School Graduate
Source: Census 2000
Owner Occupied Housing
Renter Occupied Housing
Information & Data
Health Department Data
• 45% of MHD investigated complaints
between 1990 and 2000 were in the Target
Area
as well as:
– 47% of childhood lead poisoning
– 49% of insanitary living conditions
The local
police and US
Census
Bureau are
not the only
agencies with
data that can
be mapped.
Many factors
contribute to
crime.
There is no one
cause of crime,
and therefore,
no one solution.
Information & Data
• The combination of information and data
from the stated sources, as well as many
others, significantly justified a need for
directed action in the Target Area.
Weed & Seed
Designated
Target Area
Weed & Seed is
required to take place
in a designated area
of a city
Manchester Weed & Seed
• Work on obtaining official designation began in
the Fall of 2000.
• Created a Steering Committee composed of:
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law enforcement,
social service organizations,
city officials,
community groups,
business leaders,
and very importantly residents
convened to determine problems to be addressed
and methods to address those problems
Manchester Weed & Seed
• Manchester applied for Official Designation
in July of 2001.
• In October of 2002, Manchester received its
first funding award of $225,000.
• Manchester is the first city in New
Hampshire to receive this funding.
Weed & Seed Committees
• Subcommittees were created from the Steering
committee to include
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Needs Assessment & Evaluation
Law Enforcement ( Weeding )
Community Policing
Safe Haven Coordination
Prevention, Intervention and Treatment (PIT)
Community Restoration
Planning
• Each subcommittee is responsible for driving
forward different portions of the Strategy.
Importance of Data
• Design Strategy around information
• Cater programs around needs of residents
• Recruit organizations who specialize in
needs of community
Program Development
• Children in Poverty
– Work with labor department or job training
agencies
– Manchester - MCRC
• Job training and placement, especially for nonEnglish speaking residents
– Childcare at reduced cost or free
• More money for necessities
Program Development
• High Renter-Occupied housing
– Absentee landlords Huge problem
• Let any one stay on property
– Criminals create problems for respectable neighbors
• Landlord training from Weed & Seed
– Help good landlords become better
• Explain options for getting bad tenants out
– Put bad landlords on notice
• Civil and criminal sanctions to force improvement
Program Development
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High number of ESL students
Not learning English at home
Services for learning English
Assistance in finding services despite
language barrier
• Cultural competency training for service
providers
– Understand population they are serving
Manchester Weed & Seed
Strategy
• Focuses on 8 specific priorities
• Two in the Weed category:
– Reduce the use and distribution of illegal drugs
– Reduce violence and increase street safety
Manchester Weed & Seed
Strategy
Six in the Seed category
– Develop additional programming and support
for older teens
– Develop a culturally competent community
and offer inclusive services
– Increase Safe Haven
programming
Manchester Weed & Seed
Strategy
• Seed category continued…
– Increase childcare availability and youth
activities
– Improve physical environment, increase
civic capital and create a more positive
neighborhood image
– Increase community awareness of Weed &
Seed activities
Manchester Strategy
Development
• Community Needs Assessment
– Community Survey
– Many Samples Available
• Through Weed & Seed
• Community Policing publications
– Learn the community needs directly from residents
• Cater strategy to fill those needs
Asset Mapping
• Find out available resources in the area.
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Health Services
Youth Organizations
Treatment Centers
And others
• Compare needs to resources
• Utilize funding to fill in gaps
Asset Maps cover many
services from health
agencies to youth
services.
Gives a broad picture of
many things available to
residents.
The Seeding portion of
the grant can fund
services or programs that
are needed or lacking in
the Target Area.
Asset Mapping also
allows Weed & Seed
planners to see other
potential partners.
While a long term strategy
can address many
problems, new ones,
like Graffiti
can pop up at any time.
Partners
• Weed & Seed cannot be successful without
many agencies contributing:
– Expertise
– Resources
– And Manpower
• Weed & Seed facilitates partnership with
many agencies.
Agency Partners
United States Attorney’s Office
Manchester Police Department
Manchester Community Resource Center
Hispanic/Latino Community Services
Manchester Police Athletic League
Daniel Webster Council of the Boy Scouts
Child Health Services
Friends of the Valley Street Cemetery
Manchester Transit Authority
Manchester Health Department
St. Augustin’s Outreach Team
Hillsborough County Attorney
Manchester Parks and Recreation
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
Child and Family Services
The Mayor’s Office
Pigeon’s Market
Youthbuild
Alderman Lopez
The Salvation Army
NH State Police
Manchester Academy
YWCA
NH Drug Task Force
YMCA
Manchester Schools
Girls, Inc
Manchester Housing
DEA
Southern NH University
City Planning
Minority Health Coalition
Info Bank
UNH Cooperative Extension The Way Home
Boys & Girls Club
Makin’ It Happen
Latin American Center
Fashion Cleaners
NH Probation & Parole
Manchester Neighborhood Housing
Office of Youth Services
By understanding crime
trends in the Target Area,
Police and the Community
can work together to
address problems.
For Burglaries, Police can
concentrate on
investigations and
increased patrols and
community groups can
distribute crime prevention
materials and organize
community watch groups.
For issues of Domestic
Violence, Weed & Seed
can fund advocates for
victims or sponsor
informational seminars
for residents.
Manchester utilizes
funds to pay for police
overtime to focus on
serving warrants and
presenting safety
seminars at community
organizations
Weed & Seed Activities
Community Oriented Government
• Public meetings in neighborhoods with residents and
representatives of city departments.
• Gives city reps. a chance to hear residents’ concerns
and take information back to own departments.
• Residents have ability to voice concerns and
participate in making changes in neighborhoods.
Weed & Seed Activities
Community Enhancement Teams
• Absentee landlords are a big problem in the Target Area.
• Representative of city departments, like Police and
Building Dept., target specific properties that are unfit,
dilapidated, or dangerous.
• Owners are “hit” from all side of government in an effort
to force improvement.
• Residents see City holding owners responsible for
property.
Weed & Seed Activities
Cultural Competency Training
• Gives agencies that serve the target area a chance to
understand and better serve the diverse people who reside
there.
• Increases understanding between cultures, races and
ethnicities.
• Improves outreach capabilities by recognizing issues
with different cultures towards:
– health care,
– crime and enforcement
– and social structures.
Weed & Seed Activities
Youth Programming on Saturday Nights
• Opportunity for youth to be in a safe and
positive environment on Saturday nights
• Positive adult role models
for kids who may not have
the same at home
Weed & Seed Info
• Community Capacity Development
Office
• Executive Office of Weed & Seed
• NCJRS. Org