Snitches get stitches. Honor among thieves.
There’s a whole host of old clichés that describe a philosophy common among criminal types —you don’t talk to the cops.
It’s a long-standing problem among law enforcement agencies trying to prevent crime, especially those that deal with gang activities.
But now Baton Rouge is trying a new approach to gang enforcement — one so simple it almost seems outlandish.
What if we treat gangsters like humans?
Project BRAVE — for Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination — is a new community outreach program by the sheriff’s office designed to build trust between police officers and citizens and prevent at-risk youths from joining gangs.
The project’s main practice is to encourage law enforcement officers from multiple levels of government to work together with community leaders such as ministers and business owners to build a rapport among the community.
Crime is a complex sociological issue that can’t be solved by simply locking up every petty offender or by flooding the streets with police officers. It’s refreshing to see that our leaders realize this and are embracing new strategies to fight crime.
The idea is to build a friendly and cooperative atmosphere between police and the area they serve. While the view may sound overly optimistic, it’s a welcome and refreshing new approach to fighting gang violence that has been proven to work in the past.
The inspiration for Project BRAVE came from Operation Ceasefire, a similar effort in Boston in the mid-1990s coordinated by the Boston Police Department and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Several Boston neighborhoods in the ‘90s had violent crime rates comparable to those of today’s Baton Rouge. Boston police identified the most dangerous neighborhoods and held meetings between officers and lower-level gang members, promising severe police crackdowns if gang violence did not stop.
Within months, the murder rate dropped, and officers reported a much higher level of cooperation from citizens in the targeted neighborhoods.
If the friendly approach can work in Boston, with its long history of riots and police brutality, it can work in the tight-knit communities of Baton Rouge. Not only that, but it can bring these communities even closer while making them safer.
A greater police presence means safer streets in traditionally dangerous areas, while a friendlier attitude reduces the tension that increased presence can bring.
But the beauty of the project is that while it will contribute to an immediate reduction of crime, if handled properly, it can lead to the long-term decline that Mayor-President Kip Holden has been pursuing for years.
It’s important to note that the point of Project BRAVE is not to bring gangs to their knees — instead, the police aim to reduce the amount of new recruits while loosening gangs’ grip on the community.
The community meetings will focus on at-risk, young gang members who can still be persuaded to leave the lifestyle.
“Someone who is a killer will not be at this meeting,” said District Attorney Hillar Moore in a statement to the Baton Rouge Business Report.
But the long-term success of Project BRAVE is contingent on a commitment to its philosophy.
Boston murder rates have started to creep up again after the police department neglected Operation Ceasefire. A similar undertaking in Baton Rouge in the 1970s was successful until funding ran out after a few years, allowing drugs and crime to return.
Project BRAVE’s funding comes from a $1.5 million federal grant to cover the next three years. Given the city’s financial situation, it’s unlikely more funding will be found for the project unless it is proven wildly successful.
Baton Rouge leaders of every level and sphere should commit to the project to give it the greatest possible chance for success. Even if funding is not renewed, the groundwork for communication between communities and police will be laid, allowing them to grow together organically.
Project BRAVE can make Baton Rouge safer for all of us, but it’s going to take hard work and patience from those in power.
