NCJ Number
189909
Date Published
July 2002
Length
39 pages
Publication Series
Annotation
This report describes Chicago’s community policing program, the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS), its elements, and a brief evaluation.
Abstract
In April 1993, Chicago announced the implementation of its new community policing program, the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS). This report describes the program itself and details some of the changes that have taken place in the city’s neighborhoods during the course of the evaluation. The report identifies the challenges that CAPS continues to confront and describes new initiative that were launched by the city as community policing entered the new millennium. It is directed towards criminal justice practitioners and community residents who are interested in knowing about the changes that took place in America in the 1990's when community policing was founded. The first section examines five key features of Chicago’s community policing initiative and how these features work. The second section analyzes CAPS' impact on neighborhood life, such as perceptions of police service, trends in recorded crime, and neighborhood problems. The report concludes with a look at the remaining challenges for CAPS which include energizing the program, the growing immigration population, resource allocation, finances, and leadership transition. 9 Notes
Date Published: July 1, 2002