The neighborhood enhancement team: Contemporary initiatives in community-oriented policing

Determined to combat high levels of crime in two neighborhoods, a southern city implemented the Neighborhood Enhancement Team (NET) to focus on gang and drug activity through a combination foot and bicycle patrol. With the support and assistance of the community and its various agencies, the program's initiatives and outcomes have been successful. Compared to arrest rates before the implementation of NET, the communities experienced declining arrest numbers far surpassing those of national trends: The total number of arrests for these two communities over the first five years of NET implementation declined by 40%. Furthermore, the annual arrest numbers are continuing their downward trend. Since the inception of the NET program, many youth are now choosing alternatives to gang affiliations, and as a result, social order is returning to the communities. It is the purpose of this article to delineate those initiatives and present findings of the outcomes. Authors' Note: Ferris Byxbe, Ph.D., is Associate Professor, Director of Criminal Justice and Graduate Coordinator, in the Division of Social Sciences, Criminal Justice Program, Delta State University, Cleveland, MS 38733. Philip Carlan, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work & Criminal Justice, University of North Alabama, Florence.