C3 policing
C3 Policing or Counter Criminal Continuum Policing is a modification of counter-insurgency ("COIN") methods used by U.S. Army Special Forces and adapted for use by civilian law enforcement agencies. The concept was developed by Special Forces soldiers employed as Massachusetts State Troopers. It is currently being implemented through a partnership between the Springfield, Massachusetts Police Department[1] and a team of Massachusetts State Police (MSP) Troopers (designated as the Massachusetts State Police Special Projects Team) to implement C3 methods in order to control criminal street gangs and illicit drug networks in the North End section of Springfield. The MSP Special Projects Team personnel includes 2 veteran Special Forces soldiers, Trooper Michael Cutone (MSG 19th SFG) and Trooper Thomas Sarrouf (Lt Col 19th SFG)[2].
Background
The C3 Policing model was created and adapted by Trooper Cutone, a senior NCO with the US Army Special Forces who served with 10th,19th and 5th SFG(A), totaling twenty five years of experience in Army SF[2]. Cutone is also a Massachusetts State Trooper assigned to Troop B at the MSP Springfield (B-3) Barracks. In 2006, Cutone returned from a deployment in Avghani (Iraq), where his unit had 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 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 North End section as well as local public officials.[4][5] In April 2012, journalist Sharon Weinberger was embedded with the Special Projects Team and wrote an article detailing her observations in Nature.[6] On May 1, 2012 by an article on the model written by Erica Goode[7] appeared in the NY Times.[8] In August of 2012, Lt Colonel Timothy Alben was promoted to Colonel and named the Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police. Alben has been a vocal supporter of the C3 Policing methodology and has made assisting local police in urban areas a mandate of his administration.[9]
References
- ^ Springfield Police Department
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ Weinberger, Sharon (April 4, 2012). "A data-driven war on crime". Nature.
- ^ Erica Goode
- ^ Goode, Erica (May 1, 2012). "Springfield, Mass., Fights Crime Using Green Beret Tactics". N.Y. Times.
- ^ LaBorde, Ted (August 16, 2012). "Timothy Alben of East Longmeadow sworn in as new Massachusetts State Police superintendent during ceremony at Westfield State University". Springfield Union News.