20230413-150055-62

The purpose of this request is to begin the evaluation of the NPD, in anticipation of Naugatuck PD implementing the Stratford Police Department’s (SPD) unique Police Activities League-Police Engagement Program (referred to as the PAL-PEP) program.
The Stratford Police Department has created and implemented a community policing program over the past ten years. The program is a hybrid of the Police Activities League (PAL) and the Stratford-innovated program, the Police Engagement Program(r) (PEP). PAL hosts year-long programs with K-12 students, ranging from social activities, sports programs and has three separate curricula in the schools, which were approved by the Stratford Board of Education. The Stratford PD also intervenes to provide support when social services are unavailable. Officers regularly engage with students to model empathy and encouragement. This gives the Police Officers positive engagements with all K-12 students throughout the year. These programs also generate goodwill amongst K-12 students’ parents-guardians and families. The PEP Program is a year-long series of officer training and wellness; and empathy and trust-building events amongst citizens, that became modeled on the 21st Century Policing guidance. Citizens and community leaders are given insight into being a police officer and participate in digital roleplaying, to experience threatening quick-decisions that officers often find themselves in. Officer experiences are shared, including threats, concerns and problem solving. In 2022, 1,320 community events were hosted and reached approximately 70% of Stratford business individuals and citizens annually. Over the past ten years, the Police Department has forged more than 100 community relationships, beginning with zero relationships ten years ago. Stratford Police Department data reports the following progress: 80% officer participation (which increased over time as officers began to see the benefits of this positive community engagement); 74% decrease in violent arrests; 32% decrease in juvenile charges and/or offenses (past 5 calendar years); 37% decline in juvenile individuals arrested (past 5 calendar years); 100% positive engagement with youth; 30% decline in arrestable offenses (past four years); 429,340 social media reach for this community of approximately 52,000 residents. Of particular note, there were zero complaints in CY 2022, a dramatic decrease from 14,2018 complaints in CY 2017.
The purpose of this grant request is to request technical assistance from the National Policing Institute, to : 1) assess the current Naugatuck data in order to create a data baseline; 2) author a case study related to the current state of the Naugatuck Police Department across the six pillars of 21st Century Policing, to build NPD’s capacity across: 1) Building Mutual Trust and Legitimacy with the community; 2) Improving Policy and Oversight; 3) Using Technology and Social Media; 4) Improving Community Policing and Crime Reduction; 5) Officer Training and Education; and, 5) Officer Safety and Wellness.
The Need: Naugatuck serves 31,433 residents (Census, 2021). 14.8% are ages 5-18. The population is 80.3% white, 7.9% Black, 3.3% Asian, 11.9% Hispanic or Latino, 73.2% White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, 5.7% Two or More Races. 4.9% persons are in poverty.