National Process Evaluation of the Weed and Seed Initiative -- Draft Final Report Part I: Cross-Site Summary

• NCJ Number: 161504
• Date Published: 1995
• Author(s): J A Roehl; M A Wycoff; D J Rebovich
• Length: 164 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation

Annotation

The Weed and Seed Program was initiated in 1991 at the national level to mobilize varied resources in a concerted effort to control crime and improve the quality of life in high crime neighborhoods, and a program evaluation was conducted in 1992 at 19 demonstration sites.

Abstract

Evaluation goals were to understand costs and benefits of Weed and Seed projects in urban settings and to inform policymakers, program developers, and law enforcement agencies about new and promising strategies. Evaluation objectives were to collect information on project implementation, costs, and benefits and to disseminate evaluation findings to police departments, community groups, and policymakers concerned with urban crime and drug problems. The 2-year process evaluation documented the implementation and activities of 19 Weed and Seed projects. The following elements were examined and contrasted: target community characteristics, program characteristics, task force characteristics and functioning, law enforcement and community policing strategies, prosecution strategies, and seeding activities. Information was obtained through site visits, materials gathered from project sites, and surveys of key program staff. Evaluation findings demosntrated that prosecutors, community residents, and police officers came together to solve problems, share resources, and coordinate efforts. Program emphasis at the 19 sites varied widely, from mostly weeding to mostly seeding to mostly community policing. Most sites went through a transition process from initial implementation to something quite different in structure and/or program emphasis. Weed and Seed projects brought together many good ideas and strategies for drug law enforcement and prevention. Evaluation findings are detailed in terms of program characteristics and content, law enforcement tactics and issues, prosecution activities, community policing, and seeding strategies. An appendix contains the evaluation instruments. References and tables