--- title: "Community Safe Zone Project" type: "pdf" year: "2006" canonical: "/projects/179" --- ![img-0.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-0.jpeg) # BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT ![img-1.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-1.jpeg) MARTIN O'MALLEY Mayor LEONARD D. HAMM Police Commissioner June 26, 2006 Rob T. Guerette School of Policy and Management University Park, PCA 366B Florida International University 11200 S.W. 8th Street Miami, Florida 33199 Dear Mr. Guerette, Please accept the attached documents as an official entry into the 2006 Herman Goldstein Award for Excellence in Problem Oriented Policing. I understand that by making this submission the Baltimore Police Department allows the information to be published on the Center for Problem Oriented Policing website. I also understand that should the project be selected as one of twelve finalists, the Baltimore Police Department will undertake presenting the project at the 2006 Problem Orientated Policing Conference. Sincerely, Leonard D. Hamm Police Commissioner c/o 242 W. 29th Street • Baltimore, Maryland 21211 ![img-2.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-2.jpeg) # Table of Contents - [BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT](#baltimore-police-department) - [*Community Safe Zone Project Baltimore Police Department*](#community-safe-zone-project-baltimore-police-department) - [Project Coordinator:](#project-coordinator) - [Community Safe Zone Project Baltimore Police Department](#community-safe-zone-project-baltimore-police-department) - [Summary:](#summary) - [Scanning:](#scanning) - [Analysis:](#analysis) - [Response / Program Implementation:](#response-program-implementation) - [Assessment:](#assessment) - [Analysis of Shooting and Homicide Incidents in Safe Zone Neighborhoods (Figure 4)](#analysis-of-shooting-and-homicide-incidents-in-safe-zone-neighborhoods-figure-4) - [Safe Zone Coalition of Resources](#safe-zone-coalition-of-resources) - [Government:](#government) - [Non Profit Organizations:](#non-profit-organizations) - [Baltimore Sun Article Published July 6, 2005:](#baltimore-sun-article-published-july-6-2005) - [Safe-zone project fights crime, offers resources](#safe-zone-project-fights-crime-offers-resources) - [Initiative: City police set up a round-the-clock command post in a five-squareblock area of Mondawmin. By Gus G. SENTEMENTES SUN STAFF](#initiative-city-police-set-up-a-round-the-clock-command-post-in-a-five-squareblock-area-of-mondawmin-by-gus-g-sentementes-sun-staff) - [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 6, 2005](#originally-published-july-6-2005) - [Drug market](#drug-market) - [Dealing with concerns](#dealing-with-concerns) - ['Please no dumping'](#please-no-dumping) - ['A good thing'](#a-good-thing) - [Baltimore Sun Article Published on March 23, 2006](#baltimore-sun-article-published-on-march-23-2006) - [Turning Kids Around](#turning-kids-around) - [City police guide young offenders to the positive](#city-police-guide-young-offenders-to-the-positive) - [SUN REPORTER](#sun-reporter) # *Community Safe Zone Project Baltimore Police Department* **Herman Goldstein Award for Excellence** **In Problem-Oriented Policing 2006** *Police Commissioner Leonard D. Hamm* # Project Coordinator: Lieutenant Colonel John Skinner 242 W. $29^{\text {th }}$ Street Baltimore, Maryland 21211 410-396-2363 443-690-7119 (cell) john.skinner@baltimorepolice.org # Community Safe Zone Project Baltimore Police Department ## Summary: In 2005, the Baltimore Police Department developed and implemented a neighborhood stabilization strategy called the Community Safe Zone Project. This Community Safe Zone Project was initially piloted within the Western District and after profound success was implemented as a city-wide program in 2006. The purpose of this Community Safe Zone Project was to develop a holistic strategy that prevented drug related violence, restored community stability and promoted police community relations in targeted distressed neighborhoods. The Safe Zone Project was placed operationally into 5 targeted neighborhoods for 4 week ( 28 day) cycles and was applied through 5 consistent components: - Redirection of Non-Residential Traffic Patterns - Coordination of Targeted City Resources - Coordination and Deployment of Social Service Outreach Teams - Organization Police Sponsored Community Events - Implementation of Violence Intervention Program for "High Risk" Juveniles Through the implementation of these 5 components, the Community Safe Zone Project immediately eradicated patterns of violence and established long term stability within the targeted neighborhood. ## Scanning: In 2005 the Community Safe Zone Project was piloted in the Western District of Baltimore City. The Western District comprises an area of approximately 3 square miles. However, despite its relatively small geographic size, the Western District contains some of Baltimore's most violent and distressed neighborhoods. Within many of these neighborhoods, patterns of violence have become systemic within the fabric and culture of the community. Since 1970, there have been over 1,700 murders within the Western District, with an annual average of over 48 murders per year. Statistically, it is common for neighborhoods within the Western District to experience significant patterns of violence within very short periods of time. Often traditional enforcement strategies and the progression of criminal investigations lack the ability to quickly stabilize a neighborhood. - For example, within the neighborhood of Calhoun, Baker and Stricker, eight (8) incidents of outside shootings / homicides occurred during a five month period (January to May 2005). Over the course of these five months an aggressive enforcement strategy partnered with the investigation of these incidents was implemented into this area. However, despite the dedication of consistent enforcement resources, the neighborhood remained destabilized, with violence and narcotics trafficking displacing to different time periods. The Community Safe Zone Project was implemented within this neighborhood in May 2005 and brought an immediate reduction of violence to the neighborhood which has remained consistent since implementation. # Analysis: In the development of the Community Safe Zone Project a comprehensive analysis of the patterns of violence within the Western District was completed. Incidents of homicides and nonfatal shootings from the 2004 calendar year were geographically mapped. This mapping revealed that although violence was prevalent throughout the district, there were distinct clusters of violence within specific neighborhoods (See Figure 1). ![img-3.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-3.jpeg) Western District Homicides and Shootings (Figure 1) Additionally, further review of individual incidents in both 2004 and 2005 revealed the presence chronological and sequence based patterns where 1 incident of violence often became a catalyst for additional violence and further destabilization of the neighborhood (See Figure 2). In some cases this violence was retaliatory in nature. Additionally, the presence of open air drug markets contributed to the increased probability of cycles of violence within specific neighborhoods. However, not all violence was directly attributed to the open air drug market. ![img-4.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-4.jpeg) Sequence Based Patterns of Violent Crime (Figure 2) Within this sequence of patterned based violence, an analysis of time probability revealed that the majority of shooting incidents occurred during early evening and night time hours. Specifically, the highest probability occurring between the hours of 4:00 pm and 2:00 am (See Figure 3). ![img-5.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-5.jpeg) Time Probability of Shooting Incidents in Western District (Figure 3) The analysis of these patterns of violent crime incidents revealed that they were occurring within neighborhoods and communities that had significant levels of distress and destabilization. This distress was evident in the level of graffiti, the high number of vacant and boarded residences, the debris and litter on the streets and alleys, and the overall condition of the entire community. Additionally, further analysis of the neighborhood revealed that overall community groups and organizations were fragmented and with very low levels of participation. Generally, these neighborhoods lacked participation in normal community based policing programs like "Crime Watch" and "Citizens on Patrol". Interviews with residents revealed that they had significant levels of fear of crime and lacked confidence in policing strategies. This fear had a profound impact on their desire to organize and further contributed to the destabilization of the neighborhood. # Response / Program Implementation: The Community Safe Zone Project was implemented as a holistic strategy to prevent drug related violence, restore community stability and promote police community relations in targeted distressed neighborhoods. The Community Safe Zone Project was placed operationally into 5 targeted neighborhoods for 4 week ( 28 day) cycles and was applied through the following components. Redirection of Non Residential Traffic Patterns: Within targeted Safe Zone neighborhoods, it was determined that the open air drug markets contributed significantly to the patterns of violence occurring within the neighborhood. Through various enforcement based initiatives it was determined that the majority of narcotic "dealers" and "buyers" did not live within the neighborhood where they were trafficking drugs. Additionally, fear prevented residents from participating in the re-establishment of the neighborhood. Based on this, the Community Safe Zone Project implemented a strategy where nonresidential traffic within a 10 square block radius was redirected away from the neighborhood. Through the use of signs and barricades Community Relations Officers deterred individuals with unlawful business from entering the community. Residents living within the 10 block Safe Zone Area were educated in advance of the change within traffic patterns and were provided information on how to enter their neighborhood with little inconvenience. This redirection of traffic patterns was implemented every day for the entire 4 week period with specific concentration occurring during the hours of 2:00 pm to 2:00 am. Additionally, the Community Relations Officers would walk the entire Safe Zone neighborhood, going door-to-door, visiting residents and handing out crime prevention information. The use of police barricades and the redirection of traffic patterns immediately created confusion within the illegal drug market. By deterring drug buyers from entering the neighborhood the economic demand for illegal drugs was instantly eliminated. As a result, the open air drug markets died and vanished from the targeted neighborhood. Additionally, patterns of violence immediately stopped and the stability within the neighborhood was restored. With this restoration of stability, officers found residents more willing to start working with Community Relations Officers in creating "Crime Watch" and "Citizens on Patrol" programs. ![img-6.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-6.jpeg) Officer Sloan walks door-to-door in Safe Zone Neighborhood. ![img-7.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-7.jpeg) Officer Kiah redirects non-residential traffic out of Safe Zone Neighborhood. Coordination of Targeted City Resources: Research has proven that the physical appearance of a neighborhood can often contribute to patterns of crime and violence. As criminologist George Kelling (1996) explains in his theory called "Broken Windows," that trash, vacant housing and graffiti can all create the impression that a neighborhood is in a state of complete deterioration. This state of deterioration encourages the criminal element and contributes to residential fear of crime. Based on this, through the Community Safe Zone Project the Baltimore Police Department coordinated the implementation of city resources into the targeted neighborhoods. This coordination of City resources focused efforts on improving the quality of life among residents through physical improvements. These physical improvements included: - Removal of all Trash and Debris from Streets and Alleyways - Boarding and Securing of all Vacant Dwellings - Removal of all Graffiti - Repair of all Street Lighting - Removal of all Gang Monikers from Trees and Poles - General Repair of Streets and Alleyways - Installation of Overt Police Camera Systems (PODSS) As a result of these physical improvements, residents became encouraged about the positive changes to their neighborhood. Additionally, these physical improvements reinforced the basic principle that criminal activity and drug dealing would not be tolerated within the neighborhood. The installation of the overt camera systems called PODSS (Portable Overt Digital Surveillance System) also provided tangible evidence that the changes to the neighborhood were permanent. ![img-8.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-8.jpeg) PODSS Camera **Deployment of Social Outreach Teams:** In addition to the coordination of City Resources, the Baltimore Police Department along with the Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods aggressively solicited private and non-profit organizations to participate in the Community Safe Zone Project. Participating private and non-profit organizations were clustered together into Social Outreach Teams. These teams were then deployed into the targeted neighborhood staffing booths, walking door-to-door, meeting residents, and providing services. Over the course of the 4-week Safe Zone period, 40 different agencies and organizations contacted residents within the targeted neighborhoods to offer services such as lead paint testing, drug treatment, parental counseling, job placement, and child mentoring. A complete list of these participating agencies can be found on page 14. **Police Sponsored Community Events:** Over the course of a 4-week Safe Zone period, the Baltimore Police Department sponsored large community events within each of the targeted neighborhoods. These community events were comprised of three themes: Job Resource Fair, Youth Night, and Health Fair. During these community events, public and private agencies intermingled with residents and provided valuable information concerning resources. Additionally, these events allowed the residents to interact with the Baltimore Police Department in non-traditional settings and generally improved police community relations with the neighborhoods. ![img-9.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-9.jpeg) **Police Commissioner Hamm addresses Safe Zone Event Neighborhood.** ![img-10.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-10.jpeg) **Residents participate in Safe Zone Youth Night.** ![img-11.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-11.jpeg) Residents Visit Information Booth at Safe Zone Event. ![img-12.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-12.jpeg) Lt. Col. Skinner and Baltimore Raven Adalius Thomas interact with kids during July 2005 Youth Day at Walbrook and Payson Safe Zone. During October 2005 in the Penrose and Payson Safe Zone, the Baltimore Police Department along with the Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods sponsored a Youth Night Community Event where over 500 pumpkins were distributed to every child within the neighborhood. These simple pumpkins provided a power symbolic message to all the residents that the quality of life within the neighborhood was improving. ![img-13.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-13.jpeg) 500 Pumpkins Donated for Safe Zone Youth Night. ![img-14.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-14.jpeg) Lt. Col. Skinner and Children from Safe Zone Youth Night. Violence Intervention Program: In January 2006, the Baltimore Police Department built upon the foundation of this Community Safe Zone Project by creating a police based intervention program that targeted "high-risk" juveniles in Safe Zone neighborhoods. The Baltimore Police Department worked in partnership with the Department of Juvenile Services to implement a 7 week program that paired juveniles on probation with police officer mentors. Through this program, juveniles on probation were mandated to attend dynamic weekly sessions that focused on conflict resolution, violence interdiction and goal development. These weekly sessions were organized in the following manner: - Week 1: Open / Community Conferencing - Through a Community Conferencing Facilitator, juveniles and police officers discussed police community relations. - Week 2: North American Family Institute - Juveniles and police officers participated in a team building ropes course. - Week 3: University of Maryland Shock Trauma - Juveniles and police officers met with medical professionals from the University of Maryland to learn about career development. - Week 4: Bereavement Center - Juveniles and police officers met with family members who had lost loved ones to incidents of street violence. - Week 5: Police Orientation - Juveniles visited Police Headquarters and learned about policing careers. - Week 6: "Boys of Baraka" - Juveniles and police officers had a private showing of the award winning film, "Boys of Baraka". - Week 7: Graduation and Placement into Baltimore Youth Opportunity Center for job skill training and educational development. At the conclusion of the Intervention Program, participating juveniles formally graduated and were enrolled into Baltimore's Youth Opportunity Center. These Youth Opportunity Centers provide on-going job skills training and educational development. ![img-15.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-15.jpeg) Juvenile Intervention Team Building Exercise. ![img-16.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/06-03/img-16.jpeg) Graduation Ceremony for Juvenile Intervention Program # Assessment: It was determined that the Community Safe Zone Project was most effective when used as a violence prevention strategy. Utilizing this principle, neighborhoods were selected based on immediate patterns of violence. In 2005, The Community Safe Zone Project was deployed into 5 distressed neighborhoods experiencing significant patterns of violence. In each of these neighborhoods the Community Safe Zone Project was the catalyst that disrupted the pattern of violence and provided stability. A statistical analysis of significant violent crime has shown that after implementation, homicide and shooting incidents over a six month period decreased by $\mathbf{8 6} \%$ in comparison to the prior six month period (See Figure 4). This analysis indicates that the stability within the targeted neighborhood continued well after the implementation of the 4 week Community Safe Zone Project. This continued stability is a direct reflection of the quality of improvements and relationships developed during the implementation of Community Safe Zone Project. Statistical analysis also suggests that the Community Safe Zone Project enhanced stability not only within the targeted neighborhoods but also within the entire Western District. For 2005, the entire Western District recorded a total of 38 homicides and 77 non-fatal shooting for a combined total of 115 victims. This combined total represented a historic 15 year low in the number of homicide and non-fatal shooting victims. Additionally, in comparison of 2005 to 2004, the Western District recorded a $25 \%$ reduction in non-fatal shooting victims. In addition, to this statistical evidence, the Community Safe Zone Project captured qualitative documentation of its profound success. In general terms the quality of life significantly improved for the residents of the targeted neighborhoods. The following is a brief composite of those improvements: - All the vacant dwellings were properly boarded. - All the streets and alleyways were cleaned. - All the street lighting was restored. - All graffiti was removed. - The number of "Crime Watchers" significantly increased. - Three of the neighborhoods established "Citizens on Patrol" groups. - Countless residents were referred to and enrolled in social service programs such as: Addiction Treatment, Child Immunizations, Job Training, Parental Counseling, Lead Paint Testing, Juvenile Mentoring, etc. - All the neighborhoods established regular monthly community meetings. These meeting are held in partnership with the police department. - All the juveniles enrolled in the Intervention Program returned to school and enrolled in the City's Summer Job Program. In conclusion, the Community Safe Zone Project has proven to be a reliable and holistic policing strategy that prevents drug related violence, restores community stability and promotes police community relations in distressed neighborhoods. Based on the success established within the Western District, in 2006 the Baltimore Police Department implemented the Community Safe Zone Project as a city-wide best practices strategy. Through the coordination and cooperation of police officers, residents, city workers and the coalition of resources the Community Safe Zone Project is a strong testament to the ability to establish dynamic change in violent distressed neighborhoods. # Analysis of Shooting and Homicide Incidents in Safe Zone Neighborhoods (Figure 4) | Safe Zone Location 10 Block Radius | Violence Recorded 6 Months Prior to Implementation | Date of Implementation 4 Week Project Length | Violence Recorded 6 Months After Implementation | | :--: | :--: | :--: | :--: | | Druid Hill at Whitelock | 1 Shooting | April 11 | 0 Shootings 0 Homicides | | Calhoun-Baker- Stricker | 5 Shootings 3 Homicides | May 12 (5 Weeks) | 1 Homicide (inside) | | Walbrook at Payson | 5 Shootings 2 Homicides | July 5 | 1 Shooting 1 Homicide | | Westwood at McKean | 4 Shootings 3 Homicides | August 15 | 1 Homicide | | Penrose at Payson | 5 Shootings 1 Homicides | October 17 | 0 Shootings 0 Homicides | | | 29 Total Victims | | 4 Total Victims | Note: Continued analysis beyond the original 6 month period is being conducted in Community Safe Zone Neighborhoods and preliminary findings suggest that the stability has remained consisted with original findings. # Safe Zone Coalition of Resources ## Government: Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods Mayor's Office of Children Youth and Families Operation Crime Watch Baltimore Fire Department Department of Housing - Housing Code Enforcement Community Action Center "Get Out of the Game" BELIEVE Campaign CARE Department of Public Works Department of Social Services Department of Transportation State's Attorney's Office Health Department Bureau of Adolescent and Reproductive Health Bureau of Child Health and Immunizations STRIVE Baltimore OED Re-Entry Program Youth Opportunity Centers of Baltimore Parole and Probation Baltimore Washington HIDTA ## Non Profit Organizations: Kennedy Krieger: Behavioral Psychology University of Maryland Shock Trauma: Violence Intervention Program University of Maryland City Cancer Program Urban League Family League On Our Shoulders Community Conferencing Bereavement Center Job Corps MLK After School Program Stop the Violence - Save Another Youth Healthy Starts Learning Bank Churches in Action Big Brother Big Sisters North American Family Institute # Baltimore Sun Article Published July 6, 2005: ## Safe-zone project fights crime, offers resources ## Initiative: City police set up a round-the-clock command post in a five-squareblock area of Mondawmin. By Gus G. SENTEMENTES SUN STAFF ## ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 6, 2005 A month ago, Roosevelt Grandy had trouble getting to his home as police officers blocked off his West Baltimore neighborhood seeking clues to the afternoon killing of a 21-year-old man gunned down in the street. Yesterday afternoon, Grandy, 77, watched with appreciation from his steps as police returned to the community one of Baltimore's most violent this year - to set up a different kind of operation, called the Community Safe Zone Project. Using metal barricades and traffic cones, police shut down a five-square-block area in Mondawmin to traffic and flooded the neighborhood with officers. Officers walked the beat while housing inspectors cited dilapidated buildings. Using green booths typically found at street festivals, Health Department workers passed out information on drug addiction and disease while workers from city agencies and nonprofit organizations talked with adults and children about mentoring, social services and job training. "I'm thankful there is such a thing going on," said Grandy, who has lived in the neighborhood with his wife for 36 years. "It isn't often you get the occasion to get services direct to the people. ... This is nice." Grandy's house is near Walbrook Avenue and Payson Street, where police have set up a round-the-clock command post for the next month in an effort to stem the tide of crime that has swept the neighborhood since early this year. Police statistics show that the area within the zone has been the site of seven shootings this year, three of them fatal. In the most recent killing last month Mustafa Aleem, 21, of the 4600 block of Parkton St. was fatally shot as he crossed the street. Police have no suspects in the killing. ## Drug market Police said the 1900 block of Pulaski St. has served as a well-known drug market, where people buy drugs as they drive by. Police officials said variations on the safe-zone concept have been attempted before in Baltimore, but the latest effort in Mondawmin involves a higher level of coordination between city agencies and community organizations. Lt. Col. John Skinner, commander of the Western District and coordinator of the project, which he designed, said officers targeted the area with enforcement and "a lot of arrests" in previous weeks. With the safe-zone project, the plan is to offer residents more resources to help turn the neighborhood around, he said. ## Dealing with concerns Throughout the month, city agencies and nonprofit organizations will staff the booths to help deal with residents' questions and concerns. "The idea is to leave it better than when we first came," Skinner said. "Everyone knows you can't arrest your way out of the problem." Skinner said the area around the safe zone - bounded by Clifton and West North avenues and Bentalou and Monroe streets - has been one of the most troubled in Baltimore this year. It is also an area in dire need of attention and services, Skinner and others said. # 'Please no dumping' On block after block, weeds poke out of sidewalk cracks and fissures, and streets and alleys are strewn with trash and debris. In large letters on one building on Walbrook Avenue, the phrase "Please no dumping" is spray-painted in large letters. Vacant rowhouses, whose windows and doors are either boarded with plywood or filled in with cement blocks, can be found on most blocks - but so can neatly tended homes, such as Grandy's. Skinner said he hopes to replicate the safe-zone project in other neighborhoods. About a half-dozen officers are being used for the initiative, no overtime is being used, and officers are focused on tackling safety issues between 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. - a prime time for trouble, Skinner said. ## 'A good thing' "Police presence is a good thing," said Ed Johnson, 49, who moved into the neighborhood in February with his girlfriend. "In the short term at least, we won't have any dealing here while the police is staked out. ... [Drug dealing] is destroying the whole community." # Baltimore Sun Article Published on March 23, 2006 ## Turning Kids Around ## City police guide young offenders to the positive By Gus G. SENTEMENTES ## SUN REPORTER ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 23, 2006 The hip-hop vibe filled the cramped amateur sound studio in the basement of a youth center in West Baltimore. As a teenage boy rapped into a microphone about street life, a sound engineer in the booth next door manipulated the prerecorded beats. "Gimme something positive!" said the 28-year-old engineer, Joshua Wilson, as police, probation officers and teenagers moved their feet or nodded their heads to the beat. "I ain't never write something positive!" the boy yelled back, laughing. It's a moment in the life of a new initiative called the Juvenile Intervention Program, led by the Baltimore Police Department. Begun in February, the pilot program focuses on boys living in neighborhoods in the city's Western District. With guidance from the state Department of Juvenile Services, police officials enrolled about 20 young offenders accused of mostly minor offenses. The teenagers were required to attend weekly Monday night sessions, but organizers recognized that even that was a challenge. To help with attendance, police commanders sent Police Athletic League vans to pick the boys up. Police say the program is different from past efforts because of the broad exposure to different issues it gives the boys - and because some of the department's officers were interacting with the offenders in nonconfrontational settings. "The community wants this," said Jim Green, the Police Department's special-projects director. "The community doesn't want to distance themselves from these kids. We're trying to reach high-risk youths in a different way, by bringing them together in positive ways to do positive things." For one of the early sessions, the boys and the officers engaged in "trust-building" and teamwork exercises, such as catching one another as they fell backward. Another time, they toured Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where many of the city's gunshot victims are treated. In another session, the boys talked with relatives of victims of violence. This month, police and probation officers, along with representatives from other agencies, piled into Police Athletic League vans with the boys to take a field trip to see the film Boys of Baraka at The Charles Theatre. The documentary follows a group of troubled but promising Baltimore teenagers who spend time at a school in Kenya. After seeing the film, a tall, lanky and soft-spoken 17-year-old said he thought it portrayed an accurate view of life on the streets for many teenagers. About the program, the boy - a high school junior - said: "I think it's good. It's keeping me off the streets, keeping me occupied." The boy, who had previously been arrested for stealing cars, said that he thought that "some cops" he'd seen on the streets were "jerks." But he said the ones affiliated with program seemed different. "I respect them a little because they don't have to be here," he said. The young offenders were ordered to participate in the program as part of probation. The Sun does not identify juveniles charged or convicted of crimes. Five police officers - some of whom had arrested these teenagers - acted as mentors. Lt. Col. John P. Skinner, who commanded the Western District until a recent promotion, and Maj. Garnell Green, the current district commander, started the program as a follow-up to an initiative they led last summer called Operation Safe Zone. That program focused on using uniformed officers in that district's most-troubled neighborhoods, which allowed other city agencies to move in. "These kids are coming from some of the most distressed neighborhoods in the city, and they're dealing with enormous issues," Skinner said. The program ended last week with a small graduation party, during which Police Commissioner Leonard D. Hamm handed out framed certificates at the Youth Opportunity Community Center in West Baltimore. Of the program's 20 initial participants, 13 attended each of the seven sessions and graduated from the program better than the minimum of 10 graduates that police had hoped to have. The department spent about $\$ 2,000$ on the program - all from a discretionary account not funded by taxpayer dollars. After the ceremony, the boys received guidance on how to apply for summer jobs. And for an entertainment break, many stepped into the center's sound booth for a chance to perform and record rap songs, with some reciting their own lyrics. Wilson, the sound engineer, tried to coax the inner rapper out of each of the boys. Some of them sang about violence on the streets, or relationships with girls. A few even peppered their raps with offensive remarks. And Wilson kept saying: "Keep it clean! Keep it clean!"