Lansing, Michigan

Eliminating Illegal Drug Markets in Targeted Hot Spots

Lansing Police Department START Team

Site Final Report:

/sites/default/files/FINAL%20Report_Lansing%20Neighborhood%20Stabilization%20and%20Youth%20Violence%20Initiative_Final.pdf

Lansing Police Badge

Site LE Agency
Lansing Police Department

Site Researcher
Edmund McGarrell, Ph.D., Chris Melde, Ph.D., Jesenia Pizarro, Ph.D., and Louie Rivers Ph.D., Michigan State University

Site Focus
Drugs, Violent Crime

SPI Strategy
Place-based policing, Offender-based policing

Site Cohort
2009

Site Profile
Mid-sized urban area of 36.05 sq. miles with a population of 113,392

Project Overview

The City of Lansing and the Lansing Police Department (LPD) launched a comprehensive crime reduction initiative in 2010 through the SPI in an effort to address the problems of violent crime, illegal drug sales and associated crime and disorder, and neighborhood decay associated with crime. The initiative, Police Enforcement and Community Engagement (PEACE) included multiple funding streams, data-driven planning and decision-making, and a combination of enforcement, intervention, prevention and community development strategies. The Lansing SPI also employed a Drug Market Intervention (DMI) strategy to curtail illegal drug activity and engage community partners to support community development within hotspot areas. The result was a number of drug offenders and drug users receiving treatment, access to services, and changing their lifestyles.

Data Highlight

  • The majority of survey respondents agreed that Drug Market Interventions (DMIs) were an effective method for reducing neighborhood crime.
  • 81 percent of drug dealers who attended DMI meetings were referred to services and participated in the case management process.