Site Visit Debrief and Next Steps: Metro East Police District Commission (MEPDC)

• NCJ Number: 250587
• Date Published: January 2014
• Length: 20 pages
• Agencies: OJP-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Technical Assistance); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description

Annotation

This report presents an overview of the training and technical assistance (TTA) provided by the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Justice Programs' (OJP's) Diagnostic Center to the Metro East Police District Commission (MEPDC) of East St. Louis Metro Area in assessing the factors contributing to violent crime while providing programs, best practices, and training that MEPDC and its police departments can implement to improve overall public safety.

Abstract

The three priorities identified are 1) law enforcement accountability, ethics, and standards setting; 2) MEPDC strategic framework and cross-jurisdictional support; and 3) crime-reduction strategies. For each of these priority areas, the report outlines activities, outputs, and measures. The OJP Diagnostic Center conducted in-depth interviews with stakeholders in order to define the scope of criminal justice issues across jurisdictions. The subjects and purposes of the interviews are presented. Another section of the report presents data on the socio-economic indicators shared by the MEPDC communities, so as to show the scope and complexities of local challenges. The report notes that in addressing violent crime, the MEPDC communities face challenges different from those of the surrounding communities of Southern Illinois. Data are also presented to support the following conclusions: 1) A review of police department budget information indicates a misalignment of appropriations to actual expenditures; 2) Four key challenges impact law enforcement operations; 3) A widespread culture of corruption among police department staff and elected officials impedes efforts to implement sustainable change; and 4) Preliminary qualitative analysis of the police departments indicates broad opportunities for improvement across organizational systems. Extensive tables and figures.