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Weed and Seed
1
Overview Operation Weed and Seed began in three pilot
sites in 1991; since that time, it has spread
Violent crime in many American communities quickly to designated highcrime areas through
remains unacceptably high despite the signifi out the nation. By early 2005, more than 300
cant accomplishments in crime reduction that communities had become Weed and Seed sites.
have been made through several new initiatives
Weed and Seed is managed and administered
of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Weed at the national level through the Community
and Seed is an outstanding example of one of Capacity Development Office (CCDO), a program
these innovative approaches to crime reduction. office within DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs.
CCDO provides various services, technical assis
In 1991, DOJ established Operation Weed and
tance, training programs, and resources to sup
Seed as a communitybased, multiagency
port local Weed and Seed strategies. CCDO
approach to addressing violent crime, gang
developed this manual to assist new and exist
activity, drug use, and drug trafficking in com
ing Weed and Seed sites with creating and
munities that were hardest hit by violence and
implementing Weed and Seed strategies.
eroding social and economic stability. Weed and
Contact CCDO directly at 202–616–1152 for
Seed is designed to reduce the impact of violent
additional information on any of the issues
crime on communities; provide prevention,
discussed in this manual.
intervention, and treatment services for sub
stance abuse and other social problems; and
revitalize communities through improved Vision
housing and economic development.
The Weed and Seed strategy is based on a two
pronged approach:
Weed and Seed is a comprehensive strategy—
not simply a program—to assist communities
1. Law enforcement agencies and criminal jus
in bringing people and resources together to
tice officials cooperate with local residents
prevent and control crime and improve the over
to “weed out” criminal activity in the desig
all quality of life. The Weed and Seed strategy
nated area.
stresses collaboration, coordination, and com
munity participation. This approach gives 2. Social service providers and economic revi
communities experiencing high crime and social talization efforts are introduced to “seed”
and economic decay a comprehensive structure, the area, ensuring longterm positive change
critical planning tools, and access to a national and a higher quality of life for residents.
network focused on crime prevention, citizen
safety, and neighborhood revitalization. The ini The Weed and Seed strategy recognizes the
tiative allows communities using the Weed and importance of coordinating federal, state, local,
Seed strategy to develop and undertake efforts and tribal offices; law enforcement agencies;
tailored uniquely to the issues, needs, and con and criminal justice initiatives with social serv
cerns of each neighborhood. ice providers and privatesector and community
efforts to maximize the impact of existing
programs and resources and identify and fill in efforts, and human services and concentrate
gaps in services. those resources in designated neighborhoods
to maximize their impact.
It also recognizes the importance of community
participation. Community residents must be � Mobilize community residents to assist law
centrally involved and empowered to assist in enforcement in identifying and removing vio
2
solving problems in their neighborhoods. In lent offenders and drug traffickers from their
addition, the private sector is a pivotal partner neighborhoods, assist human service agen
in the Weed and Seed strategy. cies in identifying and responding to social
service needs, and participate more fully in
Goals and Objectives community planning and decisionmaking
processes.
The purpose of Weed and Seed is to reduce
violent and drugrelated crime in designated
highcrime communities throughout the nation.
Four Components
A comprehensive approach is used to reduce The Weed and Seed strategy is a multilevel
and prevent crime and improve residents’ overall strategic plan that includes four basic
quality of life. As a result, lawabiding citizens components.
are able to live, work, and raise their families
in a safer and more prosperous environment. Law Enforcement
The law enforcement component is designed to
The primary objectives at each Weed and Seed weed out crime and violence, particularly violent
site are to— crime, gang activity, drug trafficking, and drug
related crime. Efforts are directed mainly at
� Develop a comprehensive communitybased
identifying, apprehending, and prosecuting the
strategy to control and prevent violent crime,
most serious and visible criminals in the desig
gang activity, drug trafficking, and drug
nated area. Reducing both crime and citizen fear
related crime.
returns hope to residents living in distressed
� Coordinate existing and new government and neighborhoods and sets the stage for community
privatesector initiatives, criminal justice revitalization.
In most Weed and Seed sites, crime suppression
activities are undertaken by joint task forces that
represent a collaboration of law enforcement
agencies from all levels of government, including
tribal governments, and benefit from the various
resources each agency brings to the effort.
Suppression activities include repeatoffender
programs, gun abatement, targeted patrols,
intensified drug investigations, and targeted
prosecutions. Other law enforcement tactics
involve various aspects of the criminal justice
system, such as community courts, victim
witness protection and services, and offender
reentry programs.
Community Capacity Development Office: Weed and Seed Implementation Manual
Community Policing � Protective factors such as positive individual
Community policing supports intensive law characteristics, bonding, healthy beliefs, and
enforcement operations and serves as a bridge clear standards set by parents and society
to the seeding components of Weed and Seed. reduce the impact of risk factors on children.
Community policing embraces two key concepts:
The prevention, intervention, and treatment
community engagement and problem solving. 3
component concentrates an array of human
Under this model of policing, officers establish
services on the designated community to create
an ongoing dialog with community residents to
an environment in which crime and violence
solve crime problems through a systematic
cannot thrive. Links among law enforcement and
process that addresses the underlying causes
social service agencies, the private sector, and
of crime. Community policing strategies foster
the community must be strengthened to improve
a sense of responsibility within the community
the overall quality of services to residents.
for solving crime problems, focus on increasing
police visibility, and develop cooperative rela Safe Havens are important elements of the pre
tionships between police officers and residents. vention, intervention, and treatment component.
Examples of community policing activities They provide a mechanism for organizing and
include foot and bicycle patrols, police mini delivering an array of youth and adultoriented
stations, victim referrals to support services, services in a multiservice setting such as a
nuisance abatement programs, and police ath school or community center. All Weed and Seed
letic leagues. sites are encouraged to have at least one Safe
Haven. Activities conducted in Safe Haven pro
Community mobilization is also important in
grams include communitybased services such
community policing activities. Programs that
as childcare, afterschool programs, tutoring,
encourage community participation and help
recreation, parenting courses, drug prevention
prevent crime include neighborhood watches,
programs, substance abuse treatment, mental
citizen marches and rallies, prayer services,
health services, family counseling, and medical
drugfree zones, and graffiti removal. Chapter 7
care.
provides more detail on community mobilization.
Weed and Seed
Fundamental Principles � Coordination. The number of government
agencies and community organizations that
Four fundamental principles set Weed and Seed provide services to citizens is breathtaking.
apart from traditional approaches and are key Stakeholders are probably not aware of the
to the success of the strategy at the community many service providers in the area, the goals
level. and objectives of each organization, and
4
whether there are overlapping and duplica
� Collaboration. Government departments at
tive services. Weed and Seed helps bring
the federal, state, local, and tribal levels;
together the officials who represent these
social service agencies; community organiza
organizations and assists in coordinating
tions; the private sector; and residents play
their activities. This enables the Weed and
important roles in community safety. Each
Seed Steering Committee1 to concentrate
has a responsibility to the community and a
resources in designated neighborhoods,
stake in its future. Weed and Seed requires
better match services with community needs,
communities to establish a collaborative
eliminate overlap and duplication, and get
process to capitalize on the full potential that
the maximum benefit from existing services
the systematic interaction of stakeholders can
and programs. Both vertical coordination
provide. Collaboration leads to permanent
(across disciplines such as law enforcement,
channels of communication among stake
social services, and economic development)
holders, partnerships among organizations
and horizontal coordination (across levels of
with similar goals, and a strategic approach
government) are critical to the Weed and
to effective crime prevention and restoration.
Seed strategy.
Furthermore, such efforts encourage innova
tion, help build broad support for the Weed � Community mobilization. Communities
and Seed strategy, and bring about signifi empowered to solve their own problems
cant pressure that may lead to the acquisi function more effectively than communities
tion of additional resources. that depend on services provided by out
siders. This is true for property owners who
take better care of homes than renters and
for workers who own part of the company
and are more committed than those who
simply collect a paycheck. Therefore, it fol
lows that initiatives that empower communi
ties to help themselves, involve residents in
decisionmaking processes, and encourage
broad citizen involvement will be more effec
tive than those that simply provide services
to clients.
� Leveraging resources. CCDO disseminates
funding to local sites in support of their
Weed and Seed strategies. These funds are
1 When working with Indian tribes, the Weed and Seed Steering Committee will have numerous members and may increase to
beyond 25 to 30 members. Tribal representatives from the tribe’s governing body, law enforcement, court, social services, and
other tribal entities will be involved.
Community Capacity Development Office: Weed and Seed Implementation Manual
limited, however, and they support Weed � An action orientation, with a strong empha
and Seed activities nationwide. This level of sis on practical results.
funding cannot provide the entire amount of
resources required to transform and revitalize � An emphasis on innovative approaches to
a neighborhood that is experiencing high problem solving.
crime and social and economic decay. 5
Users of this manual should remember that
Therefore, the Weed and Seed strategy is
working through the planning steps is not a
an opportunity for communities to leverage
neat, consecutive process. Work on more than
available resources (e.g., funding and organi
one step typically occurs simultaneously. For
zational structures) that will enable them to
example, selection of the Steering Committee
tap into additional funding streams and
may proceed while a community survey is
receive inkind resources from federal, state,
administered in the designated Weed and Seed
local, and tribal agencies; foundations; cor
area. The information in this manual should be
porations; and other organizations. Weed
viewed in terms of each community’s context,
and Seed sites are well placed to capitalize
character, and environment.
on numerous funding sources in both the
public and private sectors. In fact, they are
expected to leverage all available resources
There are five basic planning stages involved
to fully fund their strategies for law enforce
in developing the Weed and Seed strategy.
ment, crime prevention, and neighborhood
Although the strategic plans vary from juris
revitalization.
diction to jurisdiction, the planning stages are
common across all Weed and Seed sites:
Developing the Strategy
The process for developing a Weed and Seed Stage 1: Organize and convene a Weed and
strategy requires a significant commitment from Seed Steering Committee.
the community to engage in strategic planning,
collaborate with key stakeholders, and coordi Stage 2: Select or confirm the designated
nate programs and services. Strategic planning area.
involves a specific process that will help the
community identify a future vision, manage
Stage 3: Conduct a community needs assess
change, and create the best possible future for
ment of the area.
residents. The end result of the process is a
multiyear detailed plan for community action
Stage 4: Select priorities for addressing com
and change.
munity problems and unmet needs.
The basic characteristics of the strategic plan
ning process are— Stage 5: Identify goals, objectives, and major
tasks.
� A focused process that concentrates on
selected issues.
Stage 6: Develop an implementation plan.
� Explicit consideration of resource availability.
� Assessment of community problems and
needs.
Weed and Seed