by Gwen Wright

The following article is part of a continuing series on NLC?s Strengthening Local Democratic Governance Project, which is about governing a community in participatory, deliberative, collaborative and inclusive ways and building relationships with citizens based on trust.

The Oakland, Calif., City Council has adopted a new approach to community policing involving an already-active populous in a system of neighborhood-based systems of Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils (NCPCs).

One NCPC has been formed in 47 of the 56 police beats; the city assigned a staff person to help the residents organize.

The new approach builds on the existing neighborhood-based system by integrating ideas from community organizing. They have created a three-tiered system that focuses on a block, neighborhood and citywide approach to community involvement and adopted the principles of community organizing as the operating principles for the program.

At the block level, the Oakland Police department has revitalized the Neighborhood Watch program originally established in the 1960s. Neighborhood Watch is now viewed as the key block-level organizing tool and entry point for citizen involvement in civic life. Although the program focuses on crime prevention, its primary goal is to build relationships among neighbors so they can build the trust and capacity that is necessary for them to work together to solve problems.

National Night Out is also used as an important block-level organizing tool. It is a nationwide event held the first Tuesday in August where residents come together on their blocks for a pot luck, barbeque, ice cream social or other event that helps neighbors know each other in a fun, social setting.

With 250 Neighborhood Watch groups and more than 3,000 people participating in National Night Out, these two efforts allow the foundational relationships to be built among neighbors that will help them work more easily to advocate for their block?s interests.

At the neighborhood level, the NCPCs continue to bring people together by police beat (with approximately 5,000-7,000 residents) on a monthly basis.

Here, residents identify and prioritize crime issues. Police officers attend to hear residents? concerns and select three priorities they will work on for the coming months. In at least two council districts, priorities are driven by the community and service delivery responds to those needs.

The NCPCs are an avenue for individuals, institutional representatives, Neighborhood Watch groups and others to network and increase their problem solving and leadership skills at a broader level.

The citywide level consists of an annual Community Summit where block and neighborhood level leaders are encouraged to come together to share information, build skills, learn about issues and opportunities and recognize and celebrate success.

The four principles of community organizing adopted by the Oakland City Council as the operating principles of the community policing program are as follows:

? Win concrete improvement in people?s lives.

? Empower residents to speak and act effectively on their own behalf.

? Alter the relations of power or institutional change.

? Leverage the power of the community by strengthening grassroots organizations.

Details: For more information on Oakland?s Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils, contact Neighborhood Services Manager Claudia Albano at (510) 238-6372 or CAlbano@oaklandnet.com.

To find out more about the National League of Cities Strengthening Democratic Governance Project, contact Gwen Wright at (202) 626-3037 or wright@nlc.org