C3 policing
C3 Policing or Counter Criminal Continuum Policing is a modification of the Counter-insurgency ("COIN") model used by US Special Operations Forces adapted for use by law enforcement agencies. A team of Massachusetts State Troopers (MSP) designated as the MSP Special Projects Team and the City of Springfield Police Department[1] have implemented COIN principles in a methodology to combat criminal street gangs with success in the North End section of Springfield.
Background
The model was adapted by a senior NCO with the Army National Guard's 19th Special Forces Group named Michael Cutone. Cutone is a Massachusetts State Trooper and is assigned to the MSP Springfield Barracks. In 2006, Cutone returned from a deployment in Iraq where his unit used the principles of COIN to defeat insurgent networks. In October 2009, during the course of his patrol duties in Springfield, he determined that the principals of COIN utilized by ODA 944 in Iraq[2] could also be implemented to detect, disrupt, degrade and dismantle gang activity in that city's crime plagued North End section.[3] That initiative has received accolades from the citizens of the target area as well as local public officials.[4][5]
Springfield, Massachusetts
The city of Springfield, Massachusetts, with a population of 153,060[6]is ranked the 12th most dangerous city in America.[7] The North End section of Springfield has seen crime and gang violence increase dramatically over the past decade. Contributing factors included a reduction of police officers caused by economic concerns and in particular the agency’s departure from the community policing model that had existed prior to budgetary reductions in personnel. Property-owning stakeholders opted out of spending for private security and grew accustomed to police responding to every criminal-related issue in their respective areas.
Neighborhood residents in the North End are primarily low-income / Section 8 renters with no long-term commitment to the neighborhood and a strong fear of reprisal from nefarious characters for contacting the police. Traditional law enforcement responses and varied nontraditional methods were employed to encourage stakeholder participation. Despite increased efforts, resident interaction remained minimal. During the summer of 2009, violence peaked in the North End section when the Los Boricuas gang emigrated from Puerto Rico to Springfield with the goal of taking control of the local drug trade[8]
The area became plagued with gang-related open-air drug activity, frequent shootings and execution type drug murders. The gangs were well organized and worked effectively to limit police focus on their activities. The quality of life for North End residents decreased to the degree that many were afraid to leave their homes and venture onto the streets. At its highpoint, the neighborhood was patrolled by police officers on foot carrying M4 assault rifles because of the high level of gun violence.
Development
In February 2011, Trooper Cutone along with several other Troopers from the MSP visited the United States Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Common Operational Research Environment (CORE) Lab to discuss ways in which CORE Lab analytical methods could support C3 policing. Lighthouse Technology and analytical methodologies were determined to be the optimal tool to assist the MSP in gaining a better understanding of the environment they are operating in.
Lighthouse is the combination of technology and analytic methodologies to help understand the complex socio-cultural environment in which users operate. The forms deployed to collectors are specific to their operations and use cases and are informed by complex models derived from the social sciences. The end result is information collected in a structured manner that provides sufficient input to validate various analytic methods and models to provide the decision maker a more comprehensive understanding of the environment. The concept behind C3 policing follows eight key principles grounded watchfully on COIN doctrine.
With the principles of C3 in place, the MSP was lacking an efficient way to collect information on suspected criminals in a structured format that facilitated further analysis. In response, a week long training program was provided to MSP Special Projects Team members at NPS where they received instruction on how to employ Lighthouse devices and later analyze the data using Social Network Analysis. Once complete, Lighthouse questions were restructured to support Law Enforcement missions and seven Lighthouse devices were deployed for use in the North End of Springfield in March 2011.
Law enforcement techniques
By employing Lighthouse to support C3 policing, the MSP have seen a marked decrease in criminal activity in the North End. Drawing upon the principles of community-oriented and intelligence-led policing, facilitated by the use of Lighthouse as well as CORE Lab Methodology, law enforcement in Springfield has made great inroads over the past year with limited resources. The agency has:
- Collected significant information and intelligence relating to criminal activity in the community utilizing Lighthouse technology and visualized the results using ORA to visualize how the criminal networks evolve through space and time
- Conducted high-profile law enforcement sweeps targeting those involved in illegal narcotics, gang, and weapons violations
- Developed and continue to publish weekly intelligence summary reports for distribution to Springfield police and state police officers and specialized support units
- Established weekly community meetings at Edgewater Apartments
- Developed the C³ Policing Initiative and mission statement
- Recruited faith-based groups as active participants
- Conducted several neighborhood walks to establish and maintain contact with residents of the North End region
- Distributed materials, printed in both English and Spanish with information on available social and educational programs to assist residents and the community
- Provided public service announcements on a local Spanish speaking radio station
- Promoted and expanded the Text-A-Tip program (anonymous crime reporting)
- Established a Street Leader program whereby vetted community residents report criminal or gang-related activity to law enforcement
- Partnered with the Springfield Department of Public Works and local schools to clean blighted areas and erect signage announcing anticrime initiatives
- Partnered with local schools to provide information discouraging gang involvement to students
- Established rapport with local youth community
- Through cooperative efforts with area social support agencies such as the YMCA and the Massachusetts Career Development Institute, provided counseling, mentoring, education, and training opportunities to former gang members
- Established a program to remove gang graffiti markings from the North End community
- Established communication between support agencies and units
Outcomes
Feedback from North End residents and business leaders has been positive, and trust continues to build between the community and law enforcement. Further evidence that their efforts are succeeding is demonstrated through the following incident report table, which compares nondomestic violence incidents at the Lowell Street (Springfield) Projects in 2009 and in 2010.
| Incidents | 2009 | 2010 | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggravated Assault | 4 | 2 | -50 |
| Assault with a Dangerous Weapon | 6 | 7 | +17 |
| Burglary | 40 | 18 | -55 |
| Destruction of Property | 60 | 30 | -50 |
| Larceny | 437 | 104 | -76 |
| Rape | 2 | 1 | -50 |
| Simple Assault | 14 | 17 | +21 |
| Stolen Motor Vehicle | 17 | 9 | -47 |
| Threat to Commit Crime | 30 | 18 | -40 |
| Weapons Violation | 12 | 4 | -66 |
The MSP Special Projects Team is anticipating moving C3 policing into other trouble neighborhoods in Springfield and also looks forward to expanding the use of Lighthouse; to include different forms designed to capture neighborhood atmospherics similar to USAID’s Tactical Conflict Assessment and Planning Framework (TCAPF.) In addition, the MSP is turning towards the CORE Lab to provide further assistance in churning data captured with Lighthouse into actionable intelligence for future law enforcement operations.
References
- ^ Springfield Police
- ^ Grip Jr, Stanley T (May 2008). "The Avghani Model" (PDF). AUSA Magazine.
- ^ Hibbard, Bradley G. (October 2011). "Counter Criminal Continuum (C3) Policing in Springfield, Massachusetts:A Collaborative Effort between City and State Police to Reduce Gang Violence". Police Chief Magazine.
- ^ Spencer, Buffy (May 5, 2011). "Springfield North End residents praise police initiative that has reduced crime". Springfield Republican.
- ^ Mostue, Anne (August 22, 2011). "Counter-Insurgency Tactics Used to Reduce Crime in Springfield". WFCR New England Public Radio.
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau, “Population and Housing Occupancy Status: 2010 - State -- County Subdivision,” U.S. Census Bureau, 2010, http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST16&prodType=table.
- ^ Leah Goldman, “The 25 Most Dangerous Cities in America,” News Article, Business Insider, May 23, 2011, http://www.businessinsider.com/most-dangerous-cities-2011-5.
- ^ Los Boricuas gang members are from a remote mountainous area of Puerto Rico and are accustomed to operating with impudence because of difficulties local police have with mounting police operations in the gang’s difficult native terrain.