Haverhill
Haverhill and Methuen
The following provides a general overview of the 2009 Haverhill CSI effort (as described in their application for grant funds).PROBLEM:
Data collected from Haverhill and Methuen indicates that gang membership and activity continue to be displaced from Lawrence and Lowell because of increased suppression activity in those cities.
Haverhill is seeing a significant increase in the presence of gangs, gang activities, gunshots, violent crime, drug arrests, graffiti, and tagging.
Police have observed that street/neighborhood gangs and youth are increasingly claiming national gang affiliations.
Perceived increase of gang activity, violence, and drug use at schools; 135 disciplinary actions on school grounds, 50% of which required police intervention.
Hire a full time program director to oversee strategies and provide quarterly notes about programmatic and financial issues.
1. Continue to conduct joint patrols and home visits with Probation Department and participate in anti-gang conferences, trainings, and community meetings.
2. Strengthen its anti-gang programming with Methuen Arlington Neighborhood (MAN) Inc.
3. Increase patrols at hot spot locations identified by area youth and community members.
Haverhill/Methuen service providers will:
1. Implement at least 2 youth/police dialogues.
2. Expand Haverhill Public Schools and Haverhill Community Violence Coalition�s (HCVC) partnership into middle schools to help educate administrators and teachers on how to mentor/intervene with students involved in school violence or school conflicts.
3. Build upon communication to host collaboration community meetings that bring youth and adults together to discuss bullying and gang issues, as well as recreation programs.
4. Expand the summer youth violence prevention program. Leaders from the Violence Intervention and Prevention team will offer violence prevention programs to 300-500 youth within Haverhill.
5. Expand the number of school-based peer mentoring programs targeting students in grades 6-12 that provide a sense of belonging for identified youth and strengthen protective factors against gang involvement and other high-risk factors including truancy, drug use, and crime.
6. Haverhill and Methuen will work with social service agencies to improve outreach and service provision to high-risk youth.
Haverhill public schools and HCVC have teamed up place outreach specialists within the school to talk with students after violence or school conflicts.
Steering committee meetings have resulted in improved relationship and trust between police and outreach specialists; increased referrals and improved collaboration in planning and implementing community events.
After-school program opened at Haverhill High School that hosts STTAR (success through teamwork, academics and recreation), Choose to Refuse (sponsored by the district attorney�s office) and HIPP (Help Increase the Peace). Over 120 youth attended one of these programs with 75 students referred to employment programs.
Lena Lahey Community Center in Methuen, a program that provides a safe haven/computer center, has grown from serving 50 youth to now serving 140. Through this program, 22 youth found summer employment and 37 participated in job readiness workshops.
Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) program at Haverhill High School has grown from 35 members to 70 members, who work to promote peace and respect in their school and community and serve as mentors and peer educators to both middle and high school students.
Junior Violence Intervention Program teams were created in three middle schools.
Young Men's Initiative, piloted in two middle schools by outreach specialists, has connected and engaged high-risk males with positive role models. Youth leaders from this program meet with the chief of police in Methuen and juvenile judge from Lawrence to discuss violence and gang issues and brainstorm solutions.
Methuen Arlington Neighborhood Inc. outreach efforts have been improved by providing support to court involved youth.