Adrian College junior Salina Cowden (Sparta, Mich.) helps organize police reports according to neighborhoods, as Adrian police lieutenant Tom Ray looks on. The project is one of several for Bill Tregea's criminal justice students.

 

BACKGROUND - Board in Action
Many of the projects described here are designed to meet the objectives of the Adrian Community Policing Deliberation Board. The board, which was started in November 2000 under the leadership of Professor Tregea and others, consists of a diverse group of community members whose aim is to find ways for the community and police to work together to solve problems.

Read related Daily Telegram stories.

 

LEARNING IN ACTION
Criminal Justice Students Tackle Community Policing Projects posted 3/14/03

Like college students everywhere, the students in Professor Bill Tregea's criminal justice classes have to hit the books. However, in contrast to many other undergraduate criminal justice programs, Tregea's students are actually taking what they learn and putting it to use with real research that helps the community.

Here is some of what is going on this semester:

BREAKING THE DATA DOWN

Students in Dr. Tregea's Police in Urban Society are working with the Adrian Police Department (APD) to categorize their police reports. Starting with the year 2002, they are breaking down the reports into nine neighborhood districts. These "neighborhood crime data sets" will help Adrian police chief Mike Martin establish a baseline to measure crime prevention efforts and to facilitate steps toward problem-solving in these areas.

Each of the 22 students in the class is spending eight hours entering data at a computer in the APD offices.

SURVEY SAYS...

On March 15, Dr. Tregea's Police in Urban Society will team up with Beverly Bennett's Sociological Research Methods class to implement a community policing survey to 480 households in Adrian. These households will be randomly selected from the nine neighborhood districts. Questions will focus on the perception of police enforcement in the community.

The survey is sponsored by the Adrian Community Policing Deliberation Board and supported by the APD, the East Side Community Coalition, Adrian College classes, and possibly classes from Siena Heights University.

HELPING POLICE RESOLVE DISPUTES

Two community dispute resolution workshops are planned at Adrian College for police departments in Lenawee County and the area. Police chiefs will select someone from their forces to attend the 40-hour training. Other attendees may include a handful of human service, county juvenile justice, and Lenawee Intermediate School District participants.

[Thanks for these projects goes in part to the Adrian Community Policing Deliberation Board, the Community Action Agency, East Side Community Coalition, and faculty at Adrian College and Siena Heights University.]