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Issue Statement
  Forest Park Southeast, isolated by industrial uses and expressways, the community has suffered from many years of neglect and disinvestment. The neglect has been accompanied by a long-term increase in drug activity and other crimes. Though neighborhood residents, the Police Department, private security agencies and businesses have created mechanisms for responding to incidents of criminal activity, a more planned problem-solving approach to crime prevention is necessary.

Security Principles

• Active involvement by residents: Crime prevention practitioners - law enforcement and civilian alike - have acknowledged that their chief task is to enable people to make themselves and their communities safer by helping them gain appropriate knowledge, develop helpful attitudes and take useful actions.
• Partnerships beyond law enforcement: Security efforts must involve schools, community centers, civic organizations, religious groups, social service agencies, public works agencies and other elements of the community in addition to public and private security agencies.
• Underlying causes and problems: Although short-term and reactive measures (e.g., personal security, response calls for service) are necessary, they are insufficient if crime is to be significantly reduced. Looking behind symptoms to solve the underlying community problems is a strategy that will help ensure a significant reduction in crime.
• Physical and social issues: Crime-causing situations can arise out of physical and social problems in the community. An abandoned building may attract drug addicts; unsupervised, bored teens may become area burglars. Approaches to crime prevention should examine the broadest possible range of cause and solutions.

Benchmark

• Number of youth participating in organized activities
• Number of organized neighborhood block/watch units
• Attendance of block/watch unit meetings

Baseline Analysis

• Currently there are no organized block/watch units. When there was a security organizer staffed by the Washington University Medical Center Redevelopment Corporation, four block units organized within the first several months of implementing the program.
• FPSE is populated with approximately 1400 children and youth under the age of 18, but approximately 300 are participating in a youth program.
• There is no recreational facility within a three-mile radius of the community. Many children, without transportation, do not have access to various recreational programs for youth throughout the city.
• Further Baseline analysis is needed to obtain a specific description of the FPSE crime problem and statistical overview of problems confronting the community.

Strategies

• Employ a security organizer within the first year.
  • To assist the neighborhood in implementing a comprehensive security program that involves organizing block/watch units.
  • Serve as the liaison for the neighborhood with the Third District Police unit. The organizer would be placed in the Community Development Office.
  • Work with the Police Department on retrieving the baseline data.
  • Given the difficulty of the position, we are seeking an individual with at least a Masters level degree with experience in community organizing and development.
• Employ a youth coordinator with the first year and six counselors in training.
  • To provide productive, supervised recreational activities for youth throughout the neighborhood.
  • The staff would be responsible for engaging youth from all corners of the neighborhood through outreach and bringing programs closer to the home. The coordinator and counselors will be placed in a local youth organization and work in coordination with the Human Services Project Manager.
  • Counselors will work on a part-time basis and we are looking at high school aged youth.

Performance Measures

• The security organizer in collaboration with the Human Services Project Manager will report to the FPSE Community Council and other stakeholders on a monthly basis. A database will be developed for tracking of participating block/watch units and their memberships.
• The youth organizer and counselors will report to the FPSE Community Council and other stakeholders on a quarterly basis in collaboration with the Human Services Project Manager. The organizer and counselors will report on enrollment numbers for various programming. We are looking to increase the number of youth participating in recreational, enrichment and cultural activities.

Budget

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