MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Award honors Madisonville Community Oriented Policing Team and Cincinnati Police Department
Madisonville Community Oriented Policing Team and the Cincinnati Police Department announce today that they have won a MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Award, having been selected from more than 500 applicants nationwide. The award was made in a special category recognizing public safety programs focused on seniors. The Award, which includes a $15,000 grant, recognizes the partnership’s significant accomplishments in reducing crime and improving quality of life in the Madison Villa apartment complex for seniors and adults with mental or physical disabilities.
Administered by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the Awards recognize partnerships between community development groups and police departments that have reduced crime and spurred housing development, economic activity, and improved community services in low- and moderate-income communities. Madisonville Community Oriented Policing Team and the Cincinnati Police Department are receiving the award for successful efforts to educate, involve and encourage senior crime awareness and active senior citizen participation in crime prevention and public safety efforts.
“Community groups and police departments share a common goal: creating safe, livable communities,” said Sibyl Jacobson, president of MetLife Foundation. “The Community Oriented Policing Team and Cincinnati Police Department provide an exemplary model of partnership, and we are pleased to join LISC in recognizing their results and sharing their best practices with other groups across the country.”
Multiple crime problems, including drug dealing, theft and prostitution, plagued the apartment complex of Madison Villa. Many of the seniors living in the complex had lost any sense of security in their own homes and experienced a lowered quality of life due to the crime in their building. The resident council of Madison Villa, unwilling to live in fear any longer, enlisted the help of the Cincinnati Police Department, Madisonville CPOP (Community Problem-Oriented Policing) and the Cincinnati Community-Policing Partnering Center to re-establish the safety and security of the complex.
The project’s success in turning the complex back into a safe living environment is the result of effective problem-solving techniques and strong partnerships built among groups with a vested interest. The project serves as a prime example of how community-police partnerships work and achieve success. Residents provided the drive and focus for improvement and always remained committed and willing to get involved. The CPOP Team and the Community-Police Partnering Center worked as liaisons, facilitating a dialogue between police and residents. Police listened to residents’ concerns, actively involved the residents in performing safety assessments of the area and took action such as stepping up foot patrol in the area. Madison Villa management made physical improvements to lighting, greenery and the structure of the building. All combined, the project not only succeeded in reducing crime and improving safety at Madison Villa, but it also formed strong partnerships and renewed residents’ trust and pride in their community.
Captain Douglas Wiesman, commander of Cincinnati Police District Two, where Madison Villa is located, noted that the award-winning effort is a good example of the kind of multi-stakeholder partnerships that make a real difference in improving quality of life. “The CPD, CPPC, Madisonville CPOP team and the residents of Madison Villa will continue to work together to develop strategies and objectives to enhance the safety of those living in Madison Villa and all the residents of Madisonville,” he said. “The stakeholders and residents are grateful that MetLife Foundation and LISC have recognized the hard work and effort on our collaboration and have selected Madison Villa in Madisonville for this grant award.”
LISC is the nation’s leading community development support organization. Since 1980, LISC has marshaled more than $8.6 billion from 3,100 investors, lenders and donors to support the transformation of troubled neighborhoods into communities of choice and opportunity. LISC established the Community Safety Initiative (CSI), the national program that administers the Awards, in 1994 to help neighborhood groups develop strategic alliances with police departments to combat persistent crime and disorder problems. More information on CSI can be found at www.lisc.org/csi.
MetLife Foundation, established by MetLife in 1976, is a long-time supporter of LISC’s community revitalization programs. In 1994, the Foundation made a $1 million leadership grant to pilot the CSI. MetLife and the Foundation have also made below-market rate loans and grants of almost $76 million to the organization. MetLife Foundation supports health, education, civic and cultural programs throughout the United States. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.metlife.org.
Contact: Ozie Davis (Cincinnati LISC), 513.723.1026
Doreen Cudnik (CPPC), 513.559.5587
Lt .Mark Briede (Cincinnati PD) 513.352.3515
