Annapolis, Maryland, plays a unique role as a state capital, home to a military academy, and major tourist attraction. Additionally, the community is experiencing significant redevelopment and has geographic issues, including a waterfront and a major bridge that bisects the city. Rising violence in the city was becoming an increasing concern for the community, but the mayor and city council were facing difficulty in addressing the issue. Much of the violence was concentrated in public housing, and the police were unclear on their role in enforcing laws in the federally-funded property.
Charting a Solution
ICMA Center for Public Safety Management conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of the Annapolis Police Department, its success in reducing crime, and the appropriate staffing levels and deployment plan necessary to provide the levels of service consistent with the elected official’s policies. The city wanted to introduce routine performance measurement and establish current levels of performance and workload of police and to identify opportunities for improved performance. The information gathered by ICMA Center for Public Safety Management Services guided the budgetary and policy decisions for the city.
The Findings and Recommendations of ICMA's Study
The ICMA team created a crime map and found that police-initiated calls—instances where a police officer notices a crime or suspicious activity and investigates, rather than waiting for a citizen to call in—were uncommon. Those calls focus on major thoroughfares, not in public housing, where the data showed crime was much more prevalent.
During the course of the study, the police chief of Annapolis retired, giving the city an opportunity to bring in new leadership. ICMA Center for Public Safety Management played a critical role in the selection of the new chief. The team identified a top candidate who, on its recommendation, was hired.
The police chief implemented many of the policies recommended by the ICMA Center for Public Safety Management, including foot patrols in public housing, moving the detective division back inside the police station and turning the responsibility of recruiting officers over to the human resources department. He also has added a 13-member “flex team” to specialize in public housing.
After reading the study, the state governor and Speaker of the House put together a task force of 16 legal bodies, including state and county police, state attorneys, the parole board, and the office of juvenile justice to meet monthly to establish a closer working relationship.
Based on the information generated by this project, Annapolis’ elected officials will be better positioned to establish a long-range strategic plan for the delivery of police services to the community.
“I never hear about crime from a constituent,” says city councilmember Ross Arnett. “I think we will always have to be vigilant, but we have turned a huge corner.”
About ICMA Center for Public Safety Management Services
ICMA Center for Public Safety Management Services helps create excellence in local governance through the provision of consulting services in public safety.
Contact Leonard Matarese at lmatarese@icma.org or call 716-969-1360 to schedule an appointment.
ICMA has extended the reach of its crime prevention programs to Panama and El Salvador through two projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The Municipal Partnerships for Violence Prevention in Central America program promotes local-level crime prevention strategies and the formation of networks to share best practices and lessons learned. Using its CityLinks model, ICMA has paired police and sheriff’s departments in the United States with their counterparts in five cities in Panama and El Salvador. Through a series of exchanges, staff and officials from the U.S. jurisdictions are providing information and training on community-oriented policing and crime/violence prevention programs to their Central American partners.
Also in Panama, ICMA is a subcontractor to Creative Associates International, Inc., for a program that seeks to reduce the risk factors that lead to crime and violence among young people. Alcance Positivo (formerly called Community Youth-at-Risk) is working to improve coordination between the Child and Adolescent Unit of the national police and other governmental, nongovernmental, and private-sector stakeholders, including youth, in efforts to promote greater public safety. Both programs support the creation or strengthening of local violence prevention committees, which include representatives from all of these groups.