Police and Public Health Partner Up to Activate Public Spaces: East Palo Alto

In the small Bay Area city of East Palo Alto, residents don’t get enough physical activity, and their health suffers. Although East Palo Alto’s public spaces – including its streets, sidewalks and parks – provide the greatest opportunity for daily physical activity, these spaces are highly underused. The reason: fear of crime and violence. To better assess the threat, the City installed ShotSpotter technology citywide in 2009. A recorder activates upon the sound of gunfire and maps the locations of these sounds. The map revealed that these incident sites blanket the city.

To address these hot spots by bringing positive community activity into the public spaces, the local health and police departments worked together to launch the city’s Fitness Improvement Training (FIT) Zone Project, funded by The California Endowment. The initiative included partnering with community members to form diverse steering committees who meet monthly to provide ongoing feedback and inform project modification. Project partners select police officers well-suited to working with youth, monitor their interactions, and provide overtime pay for project work. An increased level of police officer presence and interaction allows residents to exercise with a stronger sense of security.

Using ShotSpotter technology, the East Palo Alto Police Department is moving beyond rapid response efforts and now leverages existing and new partnerships in a place-based crime prevention strategy. The California Endowment also provided mini-grants to community-based organizations Youth United for Community Action, Nuestra Casa, and Mural Music and Arts Project, to organize more than 140 events that engaged over 9,000 residents. Events included health workshops on nutrition and chronic disease, as well as activities such as group cycling and Zumba classes.

This partnership is successfully activating public spaces in East Palo Alto and reducing fear of crime and violence helping to empower residents to lead healthier lives. To date, survey results show the project has sustained high levels of resident participation, strengthened relationships between residents and police and an increased sense of community ownership. The program has also successfully reduced crime rates.

The project is also supported by a larger movement: East Palo Alto recognizes the relationship between health and the built environment, and is focused on long-term, sustainable changes. FIT Zone looks to sustain its success by building on its network, developing resident leaders, and linking to the City’s larger initiatives.

Fit Zone helped spur a partnership with San Mateo County, with planners to do cycling assessment and make recommendations for a better bicycle transportation plan.

Session information and presentations available on the New Partners for Smart Growth website: “Activating Public Spaces to Reduce Crime and Violence, and Improve Public Health”