Criminal Justice Professor Unveils Community Policing Attitudes in Dorchester
Psychology
Professor Examines Childhood Transitions in Education with NIMH Grant
BHE
Awards Honors Program With Commonwealth Honors Status
“Let
Us Serve You” Was the Theme for the Student Appreciation Luncheon
Panel
Examines Workforce
Development for the New Economy
U.S.
Department of Education Funds CSDE Research on Children and Autism
Students
Give Single Largest Donation to WB 56’s Disaster Relief Fund
Best
Practices: On-Line Systems at CPCS
Labor
Resource Center Striving to Improve the Lives of Workers
English
Department Welcomes Fiction Writer Askold Melnyczuk
The
Latest with PeopleSoft:
New System for Student Recruitment
Criminal
Justice Professor Unveils Community Policing Attitudes in Dorchester
Emerging
Leaders Honored at Luncheon
New
International Relations Program Makes Unique Contribution
Calendar
of Eventsby Leigh DuPuy
What
are the biggest threats to community safety? Depending on where you
live, you may be most concerned about drugs, fear of police, or home
invasion. Professor Dennis J. Stevens and his criminal justice students
have surveyed over 800 residents throughout the Boston area and asked
them to rank the biggest problems in their neighborhoods. Stevens presented
results and posed solutions, focusing specifically on Dorchester, at
a panel discussion with Captain Robert P. Dunford, commander of district
11, on October 18 at the College of Public and Community Service.
In comparison to other neighborhoods in South Boston, East Boston, Roslindale, and Chinatown, Stevens and his students found Dorchester residents are most concerned about drugs and home invasion. Though the majority polled revealed a particularly high fear of crime, many had great trust in the local police force. Stevens found this trust to be higher than with political leaders; residents polled said they wanted police to accept leadership of city and county services.
Stevens’ goal is to help communities and police work together. He will be comparing these community policing responses with those of other neighborhoods in Boston, as well as in Alexandria, VA, Sacramento, CA, Miami, Chicago, and midland Texas. The research revealed at the presentation will appear in Stevens’ Applied Community Policing, to be published this spring.
The work Stevens has done is one part of UMass Boston’s commitment to examining community safety. In 1991, Paul Evans, commissioner of the Boston Police Department, organized a team of community leaders and groups to form the Neighborhood Strategic Advisory for Community Policing. Gail Hobin, director of community relations, served as a board member of this committee and of the subsequent organization, the Neighborhood Advisory Committee for C11, the police district incorporating the Dorchester area. Dunford and the board presented Stevens’ research and recommendations to Evans and others in a meeting following the CPCS presentation.