Pomona Weed and Seed Strategy

1. Pomona Weed and Seed Strategy Presented By Armando N. Lopez Weed and Seed Site Coordinator

2. What is Weed and Seed? Weed and Seed is not a program –It is a Strategy • An Official Strategy that: • Provides collaborative-building opportunities • Promotes community engagement • Builds community capacity • Encourages all stakeholders to get involved • Presents youth and families with the challenge of making a difference in their community

3. What is Weed and Seed? The overall goal of the Strategy is to prevent, control and reduce violent crime, drug abuse and gang activity in the designated high-crime neighborhoods. • The Weeding element enables communities to reduce violent and drug related crime (weed) — Law enforcement agencies and justice officials cooperate to "weed" out criminals. • The Seeding element enablespublic agencies and community-based organizations in collaborating efforts to "seed" for much-needed human services including: prevention, intervention, treatment and neighborhood restoration programs. • A community-oriented policing component bridges the weeding and seeding elements.

4. Weed and Seed Components Every Weed and Seed Strategy focuses on: • Law Enforcement • Community-Oriented Policing • Prevention Intervention and Treatment • Neighborhood Restoration

5. Goals of Pomona Weed and Seed Law Enforcement • Law enforcement will integrate local, State and Federal resources available to address the affected neighborhoods where gang and drug activities are linked. Identified Goals • Reduce the incidents of drug and gang activity by 15%. • Identify, investigate and prosecute highly-visible drug dealers and gang members.

6. Goals of Pomona Weed and Seed Community-Oriented Policing • Partner with non-law enforcement agencies for effective coordination and direct delivery of resources and services to project area residents. Identified Goals • Encourage resident reporting of all illegal weapons, drug and gang activity. • Increase suspect identification through neighborhood victim/witness protection and assistance outreach service programs.

7. Goals of Pomona Weed and Seed Prevention, Intervention and Treatment • Provide culturally appropriate services and educational assistance to neighborhood youth and families. Identified Goals • Provide counseling and case management for at-risk youth and anger management training for troubled families. • Increase availability of various services (i.e., drug treatment, counseling, case management, parenting skills training, landlord educational training and conflict mediation).

8. Goals of Pomona Weed and Seed Neighborhood Restoration • Provide training and assistance to promote participation in property revitalization activities and neighborhood rehabilitation. Identified Goals • Improve neighborhood and economic development opportunities within the targeted area. • Decrease areas of blight and incidents of graffiti and vandalism.

9. Who is Weed and Seed? The Collaborative is a joint effort of: • The Steering Committee that governs the strategy • The City of Pomona as the fiscal agent • Governmental Partners • US Department of Justice • US Attorneys Office • Drug Enforcement Agency • Pomona Police Department • Community Partners • Pomona Unified School District • Cal Poly University, Pomona • Boys and Girls Club • Reach Out West End • Points of Light Ministries • To name only a few… Most Important – SITE AREA RESIDENTS

10. Weed and Seed Structure STEERING COMMITTEE Weed and Seed Site Coordinator Community-Oriented Policing Subcommittee Law Enforcement Subcommittee Prevention/ Intervention/ Treatment Subcommittee Neighborhood and Economic Development Subcommittee Crime Reduction Neighborhood Watch Safe Havens Housing and Community Services Youth Development Conflict Mediation Community Organizing Community/ Sustainability Efforts Education Partnerships Employment/ Economic Opportunity

11. Weed and Seed Site Area Located in the Southern part of the City of Pomona, the Weed and Seed Strategy directly affects Council Districts 2 and 3

12. Police Reporting District 83 84 87

13. Safe Haven Sites Lexington Elementary School Philadelphia Community Center Renacimiento Community Center

14. Philadelphia Community Center Philadelphia Community Center

15. Renacimiento Community Center Lexington Elementary School

16. Site Area Overview - Demographics • Population - 14,664 (approx 10% of Pomona’s population) • Demographics • Latino 82.8% • Households 2,354 • Median Income $44,083 • Avg. Household Size 4.7 • Overcrowding Rate 46.9% • Population under 18 years old 38% • Poverty Rate 19% • Adults over 25 without a high school diploma59% Source: www.daptaplace.com 2004 UCR

17. Pomona Weed and Seed Grant Awards Year 1 07/01/05 to 09/30/06 Awarded $175,000 Weeding Activity $ 87,500 Seeding Activity $ 87,500 Year 2 10/01/06 to 06/30/07Awarded $225,000 Weeding Activity $ 89,237 Seeding Activity $135,763 Year 3 07/01/07 to 06/03/08 Applied for $200,000 Weeding Activity $100,649 Seeding Activity $ 99,351

18. Weeding Highlights • Gang Injunction in place - increase in arrests and a decrease in violent crime • 47 out of 60 gang members have been served with the gang injunction • Increase in Community-Oriented Policing • Increase in Neighborhood Watch Meetings • License Plate Scanner purchased for use in site area • The scanner can process over 2,300 license plates a shift. On the first day of use a stolen car was identified.

19. Weeding Highlights • 82 % Decrease in Homicides in Reporting Areas 2004 • 17 homicides reported 2005 • 8 homicides reported 2006 • 3 homicides reported

20. Weeding Activity • 20% Decrease in Violent Crimes in Reporting Areas 2004 • 439 violent crimes 2005 • 425 violent crimes 2006 • 351 violent crimes

21. Weeding Highlights • Decrease in calls for service - decrease in criminal activity 2004 • 8,232 calls for service 2005 • 6,283 calls for service 2006 • 6,252 calls for service

22. Technical Assistance • Technical Assistance Provided: March 15, 2006 Hildy Saizow Consultant for the U.S. Department of Justice; Office of Community Capacity Development • Technical Assistance Recommendation: Focus on the Weed and Seed Strategy Mobilize the Community Develop Comprehensive Safe Haven Plan Create Working Subcommittee • Technical Assistance Implementation: Implementation currently on-going

23. Seeding Highlights • September 2003 City applies for Weed and Seed Site Recognition • June 2004 City Recognized as Weed and Seed Site by DOJ • October 2005 First Steering Committee Meeting • December 2005 Simons Middle School/Boys and Girls Club identified as Temporary Safe Haven sites • December 2005 Cal Poly Pomona and Pomona Police Department Performs Initial Site Evaluation with Survey of Residents

24. Seeding Highlights 2006 • February 2006 Parent Project begins at Simons Middle School • March 2006 Weed and Seed Awareness Day • May 2006 Steering Committee Day Retreat • May 2006 Permanent Safe Haven Sites identified • September 2006 Full-time Site Coordinator Hired • October 2006 Safe Haven Staff Hired

25. Goals for the Future • Continue to implement the Official Strategy • Continue following Technical Assistance recommendations • Promote residential involvement • Increase programming levels • Develop a sustainability plan

26. Contact Information Armando N. Lopez Housing Analyst Weed and Seed Site Coordinator City of Pomona 505 S Garey Ave. Pomona, CA 91766 Phone: 909-620-2316 Fax: 909-620-4567 Email: Armando_Lopez@ci.pomona.ca.us