Beyond Community Policing: Centering Community Development in Efforts to Improve Safety in Latinx Immigrant Communities

• NCJ Number: 305276
• Journal: Journal of Community Practice Volume: 29 Issue: 4 Dated: Nov 2021 Pages: 375-390
• Date Published: November 2021
• Author(s): Willow Lung-Amam; Nohely Alvarez; Rodney Green
• Length: 16 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2017-AJ-BX-0002
• Agencies: BJA-Sponsored

Annotation

Since recent uprisings have led to calls to defund police and invest in Black and Brown communities, this article explores the lessons learned about community safety from a four-year effort to reduce crime and improve safety in a predominately Latinx suburb of Washington, DC.

Abstract

It shows that programs that invested in building trust and rapport between police and community had little impact. Alternatively, efforts that built community, resourced and engaged residents, and invested in neighborhood infrastructure were more effective. The case highlights the critical role of community-based organizations in helping residents imagine and execute programs that improve community safety without relying on police.