| OCR Text |
Show iiMiriifrtririrtif Review of Crime & Del. projects operating in 1971. A FIRST HAND LOOK Crime The Tactical Squad displaced. Lack of facilities. Especially for law enforcement officers who come into contact with juveniles who have no place to go, but haven't done anything criminally wrong. Also, what few facilites are available are not widely known. 2. Lack of resources for first offenders and need for an evaluation center for juvenile delinquents which would indicate whether or not they should be referred to the State Industrial School or another kind of rehabilitative institution. both for the program g it was What were those projects policemen, established to accomplish and what is their effect on the problems identified by the Task Force? Essentially, the Neighborhood Probation Units were set up to provide more meaningful probation services for young offenders. Judge R. Garff of the Utah Second District Juvenile Court serves as project squad further proof just of how well their program worked. The squad generally does not answer routine calls, but serves as a back-uforce for regular patrolmen in sealing and holding an area, block p or building. Each man has a destination such as the northwest corner, southeast area, etc., so they know where to go and director. The probation teams what to do once they arrive. They a patrolman or each operate in units located in residentail also "back-uneighborhoods. Teams consist of other when stopping a vehicle or probation officers, vocational answering a call. "A policeman isn't so afraid of rehabilitation counselors, probation aides, education counselors and stopping a suspicious looking car if mental health counselors. A well he knows additional men and cars organized and extensive use of will be there to assist within volunteers is also an integral part of seconds, Parke stated. The squad was funded in June, the program. pre-assign- p i This decentralization of 1971 and began operating in September, 1971. Funding consisted strategically located of $100,000 from Model Cities, areas is a contributing $1 50,000 from LEAA (Law the success of this team Enforcement Assistance Administration) and $86,000 from approach. The project offers differential Salt Lake City. Since its inception, crimes treatment methods, such as group have decreased therapy, activity groups, remedial against property education and tutoring, vocational sharply but there has been little counseling, individual counseling effect in deterring crimes against persons. This is being closely studied and Big Brother programs. The intake casework service to determine the reason. Parke attributes the program's project is located in the Juvenile Court building and deals with success to a plan of saturation patrol children initally referred to the and constant checking of known court. Hopefully, immediate help suspects. He has been responsible for and counseling will deter the child developing the finest visual from continuing with his delinquent statistical system in the country. "We look at where and when behavior. The extended shelter care crimes are happening and use the project was funded but no facility Tactical Squad accordingly, he has yet been established. explained. probation them in residential factor to services by establishing Priorities general who arc temporarily operating the police department. Lt. Gary Parke, director of the unit has nothing but pride and enthusiasm, trained, experienced ies Specific problems identified by the Task Force were: 1. There is no place to go for unwed mothers, victims of incest, battered children, and youth in policemen dispatcher Friday evening, broadcast an armed robbery at the Star Service Station, 955 W. North Temple. Within minutes the squad had rushed to the area, sealed off a 14 block perimeter around the station and began a door to door search. Cars leaving the area were also checked and fifteen minutes after the holdup a suspect matching the broadcast description was stopped and taken into custody. It seemed almost unbelievable and far too easy, but to the highly In-dentif- Problems and Lists for 1972. and his officers. On January 14, your editor and Martha Turpin, Crime and problem-identifyinand planning Delinquency Task Force Assistant, had been accomplished by the Crime spent 6 hours observing the squad and Delinquency Task Force. while riding with Lt. Parke. The Task Force has identified a At approximately 11:20 p.m. number of problems in the Model the Neighborhood. Projects in operation during 1971 included neighborhood probation units and intake casework services both operated by the Juvenile Court Judges; extended shelter care operated by the Salt Lake County Detention Center and the Tactical Squads operated by the Salt Lake City Corporation. Members of the Task Force have also toured the State Industrial School and the Salt Lake City and County Jail and submitted reports on their findings. Delinquency Force Task Crime prevention and control is The most impressive way to a component part of Model Cities' learn about the Salt Lake City Police the role of upgrading assigned Tactical Squad is to see it in action. of life. urban Model The quality The squad of 20 handpicked senior Cities mandate specifically requires is a unit within cities' plans be directed " to reduce the incidence of crime and delinquency. How successful has the Salt Lake Model Cities battle been against crime? To answer this, we first researched what initial & This refers to mechanisms Lt. Gary Parke directs S. L. City Police Tactical Squad. Officers on the squad he took her home, he found a family volunteered to serve on the special of 7 living in extremely cramped unit and all have years of service and quarters, with no food or gifts for experience with the police Christmas. The father was unable to department. They are not given set work due to poor health, the mother hours or patrol areas but are used had not recovered from a nervous when and where they are most breakdown and they had not lived in needed. A strong team concept is the state long enough to qualify for used with never less than five men to welfare. The squad raised over cover a crime. Parke, himself, is on $200.00 out of their own pockets call 24 hours a day, six days a week, and supplied food, clothing and Unlike regular patrolmen. Tactical Christmas presents for the family. Squad officers have no choice of They did it in the same quiet, shifts, days off or even lunch times, unassuming manner in which they yet over 45 applications were serve their community while on received for the available positions, duty. "We're working a burglary priority now," Parke said, continuing, "In January of 1971 we had 1 65 business burglaries, while so far in January, 1 972, we've only had 30." He went on to say they would much rather prevent crimes from occurring then have to apprehend offenders. A present need of the Tactical ornot first offender juvenile kkC Ilk off-dut- off-duty- ," off-dut- g, lack of to determine whether parke said over 3,000 people Martha Turpin, Crime and Task Force Assistant. have been stopped and questioned Delinquency during the past 30 days. Such delinquents are likely to become routine checks often lead to the repeaters and in need of rehabilitative action. This need may arrest of suspects. "We want to make it very be met by the Intake Services Project unattractive for them to hang funded by Model Cities this year. This service will provide an intake around, he emphasized, A car is assigned to each squad team to screen juveniles being admitted to the Detention Center. officer for use on or "This presents a psychological for determent, just having a marked car Squad is enough "walkie-talkies- " the entire squad. This would permit in various areas of the city. The officers to walk an area and to deal officer can also assist if needed while he continued, with more dangerous type offenders while staying in contact with other According to Parke's records, officers have responded many times policemen. making sixty arrests During the six hours Friday while evening, several calls were answered and responding to 130 calls in and repeatedly the squad backed up November on their own time, "This is cheap, continious patrolmen and each other in stopping suspicious vehicles protection for every citizen," he checking out a building for a added. The Tactical Squad continues reported escapee, stopping a car involved in a hit and run accident efficiently, day and night, to deter and answering a call concerning a crime in our community and to young boy beating up a girl in a apprehend offenders. It would appear from statistical evidence and public restaurant The squad, while tough and from observing the squad in action, do respond with that it has and will continue to fulfill compassion when the need arises, its objective as outlined by the Crime During Christmas, one of the sixteen and Delinquency Task Force - "to year veterans on the force arrested a reduce the incidence of crime and 1 3 year old girl for shoplifting. When delinquency." hard-workin- a y, 3. No representation in juvenile court for the juveniles. This refers to a lack of legal counsel for juveniles who can't afford to provide their own. Also, it has influence on the degree of violation of due process within the juvenile court system. 4. Graduation from the State Industrial School usually means on to the Utah State Prison. The Task Force does not have an exact percentage figure to indicate the number of State School graduates that go the State Prison. It is estimated, however, that 60 85 of the State Prison inmates come from the State Industrial -- School. 5. Lack of minority police officers. Police Civil Service standards have been changed to help eliminate this problem |
