SITE OVERVIEW ♦ DURHAM | NORTH CAROLINA
Target Area: Census Tract 10.01 (zip code 27701) • Population: 3,500
Fiscal Agent: City of Durham
Research Partner: University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG)
Crime Concerns: Gang violence, juvenile delinquency, violent crimes, and property crimes
BCJI Funding Year: 2014 Planning
Neighborhood Profile
Located to the east of downtown Durham, the BCJI target area is comprised of three block groups and is a predominantly African American (66%) and Hispanic/Latino (24%) community. More than 60 percent of residents live in poverty and have a median income of under $25,000. Within the 10.01 census tract, there are also low levels of educational attainment – nearly 70 percent of residents have not obtained more than a high school diploma. Although the target area only makes up 1.5 percent of the city’s total population, it generates 5 percent of the city’s violent crimes, 3 percent of the city’s property crimes, and 6 percent of the city’s gang activity. This deep-rooted criminal element coupled with disinvestment have discouraged redevelopment and stifled economic growth in the community.
Planning Process
The BCJI Executive Planning Committee (EPC) is comprised of law enforcement personnel from the City of Durham Police Department (DPD), the research partners from the University of North Carolina Greensboro’s (UNCG) North Carolina Network for Safe Communities (NCNSC), and various community figures. Beginning in January 2014, the initiative sponsored over forty planning meetings, with the full planning team or in smaller work-group configurations, to discuss process and strategy, emergent data, community composition and overlapping or parallel projects, and potential strategies.
Coordinated by DPD staff, the research partner (UNCG), and the cross-sector team, the following process was developed for the planning phase: 1) Community Assessment/Analysis, 2) Crime Data Analysis, 3) Community Data Gathering, 4) Analysis Findings/Recommendations, and 5) Develop Implementation Plan. The following provides an overview of key details from the various stages in the process.
Community Assessment
- To help reduce poverty, the Mayor set forth a Poverty Reduction Initiative (PRI). As part of the initiative, PRI partners conducted six community listening sessions, a Town Hall meeting in May 2014, two community information sessions, and door-to-door surveys/assessments from September 2014 to October 2014.
Crime Data Analysis
- UNCG researchers developed a data-driven analysis of the drivers of crime using data provided by the DPD Crime Analysis Unit (e.g. crime incidents and 911 calls)
Community Data Gathering
- UNCG conducted focus groups, law enforcement surveys, door-to-door surveys and survey with community residents at the Holton Resource Center, a career and resource center located within the Census Tract.
The output from the above stages yielded several notable findings:
- The analysis of crime data led to the identification of several hot spots
- Surveys and focus groups found various community concerns, especially in the arena for youth activities
Implementation
As a result of the above stages, BCJI partners intend to employ the following strategies during the implementation phase as a way to increase protective factors linked to neighborhood disorder, crime, and public safety:
- Increase awareness and coordination of community and government resources
- Reduce the number of physical locations suitable for criminal activity
- Improve police and community relations
- Increase protective factors and reduce risk factors for youth
- Increase job readiness, training and resources
Other Key Partners
City Public Affairs, Neighborhood Improvement Services (NIS), and Durham Police Department
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