Process Evaluation of an Effort to Engage Police in Alternative Responses to Neighborhood Drug Problems

摘要

Despite two decades of progress in community-oriented policing, efforts to link police and citizens in antidrug initiatives have remained focused on enforcement. This report presents findings from a process evaluation of efforts by a program in New York City, La Bodega de la Familia, to work with local police on alternative responses to neighborhood drug use and crime. In conjunction with the programs core service, family case management, Bodega sought to engage police and other formal criminal justice agencies in referring drug users and their family members to Bodega services. This exploratory research sought to assess Bodegas evolving work with police, while also exploring factors that may mediate police responses, including the beliefs of officer and local residents toward drug usersand their families. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in the research; given the small numbers of study participants and data limitations, study conclusions must be regarded as tentative.