Executive Abstract & Highlights
A Final Report to the Spokane Police Department: An Implementation and Short-Term Impact Assessment of the 1993 C.O.P.Y. Kids Demonstration Project.
The following report summarizes the results of an accountability study of the Spokane Police Department's 1993 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 1993 as a nine-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 sites where they were offered the opportunity to participate in community service projects. The day continued with lunch at a park, followed by recreational activities, short educational lessons 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 youths participated in a similar routine for three days, Monday through Wednesday. On Thursdays (the last day of the program week), they were driven to Fairchild Air Force Base, treated to lunch at a local restaurant, and then taken to a local bank, where $40 had been deposited in an account for each participating youth. Each week the program closed with a brief graduation ceremony.
The following pages describe an empirical assessment of the Kids Demonstration Project. First, a summary description of the program is provided. Second, the research methodology i8 presented to illustrate the systematic measures used to assess program implementation and short-term effectiveness. Third, the data that were collected are discussed, especially in light of programmatic and organizational changes from the 1992 program, and some recommendations for fine-tuning the program are offered.
Overall, the data presented in this report (collected from direct observations, focus group surveys with participating youth, telephone interviews with the youths' parents, and administered questionnaires completed by program staff) indicate that C.O.P.Y. Kids was successfully implemented in 1993 and even enhanced from the successful implementation of 1992. In terms of impact, the data suggest that youths benefited from the program, 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 hypothesized connection between hard work and monetary award was made.
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 as 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, it can be concluded that the 1993 C.O.P.Y. Kids program was a success, and beyond this, offers a useful foundation from which to build better police relations with area youth and the communities from which they originate.
Executive Highlights
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The C.O.P.Y. Kids program administered by the Spokane Police Department over a nine-week period during the summer of 1993 served 335 youths from economically disadvantaged residential areas of the city.
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Data collected from direct observations, focus group interviews, telephone interviews with the parents or guardians of participating youth, and self-administered questionnaire data from program staff all attest to C.O.P.Y. Kids successful implementation.
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The programmatic and organizational changes to the 1992 C.O.P.Y. Kids program enhanced its program delivery in 1993.
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Many youths associated field trips, participation in community service projects, receiving a financial reward and the people they met (including program staff) as the most beneficial parts of the C.O.P.Y. Kids experience.
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Kids youth credited the program with helping them learn responsibility, how to work hard with others, cooperation, how to make friends, learning about various occupations and the importance of staying in school.
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Over ninety percent of the focus group respondents agreed that they would recommend C.O.P.Y. Kids to a friend. In fact, 98 percent said they wanted to participate in the program again!
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The most frequent criticism of C.O.P.Y. Kids mentioned by participating youth concerned the lunch service, followed by complaints that the four-day program was too short.
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A random sample of parents of C.O.P.Y. Kids youth all reported that they believed the program positively benefited their children. Furthermore, all of the parents interviewed indicated that they would recommend C.O.P.Y. Kids to other parents.
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All of the program staff interviewed stated that they would recommend C.O.P.Y. Kids to other co-workers. Furthermore, 94 percent of the staff acknowledged that they had personally benefited from their involvement with the C.O.P.Y. Kids program.