|
The overall goal of the program is to
build positive, healthy, and mutually respectful relationships
between youth - especially urban youth who are at greater
risk of getting involved with the criminal justice system - and
police officers who are often viewed by these youth as their
enemy. This will enable police officers to deter delinquent and
criminal behavior by equipping them with skills and information to
make positive lifestyle choices.
This is accomplished with the use of
edutainment software. Police officers and youth have fun together
exploring computer programs and games that teach problem solving,
critical thinking, and life skills. Once these skills are learned
in the computer lab, youth will be equipped with skills that can
be transferred and applied in other areas of their life, including
home, school, work, and recreation.
The objective is to provide a
non-threatening, congenial environment for police officers and
youth to interact, get to know each other, and find mutually
acceptable ways of communicating to build positive relationships.
Opportunities to form these special relationships would not exist
if special programming was not available to facilitate positive
interaction between high-risk youth and police officers.
History/Background
The
program was developed in 1992 when police/community relations were
very poor in the Heinold area. The Heinold area includes Millvale,
South Cumminsville, North Fairmount English Woods, The Fay
Apartments, and East Westwood neighborhoods.
During this period, police cars could
not enter the public housing development without being stoned or
having equipment stolen. The program continued for little over a
year successfully until personnel changes occurred in District 3
and the new captain had different ideas about how community
oriented policing should be provided.
For a number of reasons (including the
community's perception of the disparity of the manner in which
police officers treated youth in lower income neighborhoods as
compared to the treatment of youth from higher income communities)
police and community relations deteriorated in the Heinold area.
In 1995, after the Pharon Crosby incident occurred, community
leaders asked The Mallory Center to re-implement the Computer COP
program. They were concerned that the Pharon Crosby incident might
incite and escalate the existing strained relations between the
police division and the community.
The Mallory Center applied for and
received a mini-grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation to
re-implement the program. The new police administration in
District 3 gave Officer Albert Brown permission to re-implement
the Computer COP program in conjunction with The Mallory Center.
The program is currently being operated on a volunteer basis in
six neighborhoods: Millvale, South Cumminsville, the Fay
Apartments, West End, Mt. Washington, and Winton Hills. There are
over 300 children enrolled in the program and several other
communities have requested that Computer COP be implemented in
their neighborhoods.
Benefits
It helps build
positive police/community relations by providing opportunities for
the community to feel that community-based services are supported
by the police division. This gives the community input into the
types of services and activities they desire from law enforcement
officials.
It builds positive relationships and
destroys myths and stereotypes that youth have about police
officers. The program also helps police confront the myths and
stereotypes they have of urban youth. Police officers are then
able to learn new approaches and innovative ways of communicating
and working with youth.
It deters crime among youth. While the
youth are in the computer lab, their interest is shifted from
delinquent activities to constructive positive activities with
police officers. Police officers are then able to positively
influence their behavior by helping them develop reasoning,
critical thinking, and computer skills. These skills will assist
youth in making positive lifestyle choices as well as help them to
succeed in this highly technological era.
The Mallory
Center for Community Development
The mission of the
Mallory Center for Community Development is to improve the quality
in all aspects of life for residents in the Greater Cincinnati
area.
This will be accomplished by:
- Promoting social unity
-
Supporting existing community development projects, programs,
and services
- Initiating new community development
activities that will build strong cooperative linkages and
healthy relationships among individuals, families, community
groups, organizations, institutions, business, and
government
The Mallory Center for Community
Development, located at 3262 Beekman Street, was founded in 1994
by community leaders in Millvale, Fay, South Cumminsville, Winton
Hills, and the West End to recognize the great accomplishments,
dedicated service and commitment of former Ohio House of
Representative, William L. Mallory Sr. to improve the quality of
life for all Ohio citizens through individual, family, and
community empowerment.
Believing that one of government's
primary purposes is to facilitate the will of its citizenry,
William Mallory has long championed the rights of communities to
self determine their needs and services. In 1994, during the
height of Welfare Reform experimentation, neighborhood services
were threatened by expansive governments who drastically slashed
the budgets of community-based services in low income
neighborhoods.
Representative Mallory requested and
received support from other legislators to have unused federal and
state funds redirected to Hamilton County for community-based
organizations. His request resulted in the temporary restoration
of community operated employment, training and other workforce
programs. Recognizing that government funding of community-based
services would be an ongoing dilemma as priorities for the state
and federal Human Service Agencies shifted, former Ohio State
Representative Mallory worked with grassroots community leaders to
establish fund development strategies such as the Historical Ball
to sustain neighborhood services.
Today, The Mallory Center's primary
focus is to help sustain, preserve, and empower the initiatives of
community-based organizations. And believing that "people should
shape government affairs" rather than "having people's lives
directed by government", a primary goal of The Mallory Center for
Community Development is to empower communities to be politically
astute and active. In pursuit of its mission, The Mallory Center's
ultimate goal is the facilitation of social unity while
simultaneously promoting the values of cultural diversity. The
founders of The Mallory Center are elated to have former Majority
Leader of the Ohio House of Representatives, William L. Mallory
Sr. as a mentor and in his honor a center has been established to
perpetuate his great legacy.
One of The Mallory Center programs is
Computer COP. For additional information on the Computer COP,
please visit their Web site.
http://www.computer-cops.com/
The Mallory Center for Community Development
3262 Beekman Street
Cincinnati, OH 45223 | 