Maryvale Weed & Seed Site Evaluation Report

Operation Weed and Seed was developed by the U.S. Department of Justice in 1991 for the purpose of reducing crime (particularly violent and drug-related offenses) in high-crime neighborhoods through a mixture of focused policing techniques and community organization. Weed and Seed procedures are administered by the Community Capacity Development Office (CCDO) under the jurisdiction of the DOJ Office of Justice Programs. In the two decades since Operation Weed and Seed‟s inception, over 300 officially recognized sites have been established (CCDO, 2010). The key element of the program‟s crime reduction strategy is the development and maintenance of a dedicated working relationship between the community and the police department. While this is a difficult goal to master, it is also the greatest strength of the Weed and Seed program, due to the efficacy of pooling community and police resources to achieve a common goal based on quality of life.