Released on February 18, this 50-page report from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the first-ever comprehensive analysis of gun-related violence in public housing communities. Based on new data from HUD and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the report reveals that, while crime in public housing developments is falling, residents of public housing are more than twice as...

Focused on school safety, the site above provides a host of information from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). As with previous In the Spotlight offerings from NCJRS (see the August 17, 2001 Scout Report), the front page of the School Safety site acts as a portal to statistical information, legislation, relevant publications, funding opportunities, other related Websites,...

Published this month by the Department of Justice, this report assesses the results of the "weed and seed" approach to crime prevention, monitored for the last eight years at eight selected area sites in the U.S.. "Weeding" is defined as "concentrated and enhanced law enforcement efforts to identify, arrest, and prosecute" criminals, especially violent offenders and drug traffickers. The cited...

Business improvement districts (BIDs) are a tool used by concerned members of the business community and politicians to enhance a commercial retail area's economic fortunes. As it turns out, they may also improve the social environment of their neighborhoods as well. Published in 2009, this study commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was completed by the RAND Corporation....