• Criminal Justice
• WSICOP
• WRICOPS

Executive abstract & highlights

A Report to the Spokane Police Department: An Implementation and Short-Term Impact Assessment of the 1992 C.O.P.Y. Kids Demonstration Project

The following report summarizes the results of an accountability study of the Spokane Police Department's Community Opportunities Program for Youth--otherwise known as the C.O.P.Y. Kids program.

C.O.P.Y. Kids was administered during the Summer of 1992 as an eight-week demonstration project designed to target 11-15 year old children from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Each week program staff (which included sworn and non-sworn personnel as well as unpaid volunteers) arrived at one of five community centers. The youths then were transported along with their chaperons to local Rites where they were offered the opportunity to participate in community service projects. The day continued with lunch at a park, followed by recreational activities and role model interaction. The youths next were given a tour of a local business or municipal organization. The day culminated with a bus ride back to the community center.

Each group of children participated in a similar routine for three days, Monday through Wednesday. On Thursdays (the last day of the program week), the youths were driven to a museum, treated to lunch at a local restaurant, and then given the opportunity at an area park to play and reflect on the events from the previous four days. The program ended with a visit to a local bank, where an account in the amount of $40 had been opened for each youth participating in the program.

In the following pages, an assessment of the C.O.P.Y. Kids Demonstration Project is delineated. First, a summary description of the program is provided from which the evaluation is based. Second, the research methodology is outlined to illustrate the systematic measures used in-assessing the implementation and short-term effectiveness of the program. Third, the data are presented and then discussed, along with some recommendations for fine-tuning the program the next time it is offered.

Overall, the data presented in this study and collected from direct observations, focus group surveys with participating youth, telephone interviews with the youths' parents, and self-administered questionnaires completed by program staff indicate that C.O.P.Y. Kids was successfully implemented. In terms of impact, we conclude that youths improved their sense of responsibility through participation in community service assignments, that their view of police officers as positive role models was enhanced through close interactions with police department personnel in an informal setting, and that the monetary award of $40 was found sufficiently rewarding by the youth to help them realized correlation between what they might accomplish through their own labor and social appreciation for their efforts.

In addition, notable indirect benefits that were observed included a favorable response to the program and its sponsors from the parents of participating youth, as well benefits to C.O.P.Y Kids staff in the form of improving their image of the young citizens that they are called upon to protect and serve. While it remains for further research to document the long-term effects of such an effort on program participants, we conclude that the 1992 C.O.P.Y. Kids program was a success, and as such, offers a useful foundation from which to build better police relations with area youth and the communities from which they come.