A common misconception about community focused policing programs is that they are less tough on crime than traditional policing.  However, as seen by the use of COPPS in North Charleston, even districts with very high crime rates can greatly benefit from the introduction of a more holistic approach towards the mitigation of crime. 

            North Charleston was rated as the seventh most violent city in America due to the increasing tensions between immigrant communities and the influx of many different foreign populations.  One of the fastest growing municipalities in South Carolina, North Charleston also had one of the fastest growing rates of violent crime.  Adding to this problem, the community had very little trust in the police department because of the perception of the police as being in place to enforce federal immigration laws.  Immigrants were hesitant to cooperate with the police out of fear of being “outed” as illegal immigrants and subsequently deported.

            North Charleston had a population of 100,000 at the time of the COPPS introduction.  The population was approximately evenly split between African Americans and Whites, although about ten percent of the community was comprised of Hispanic immigrants.  The Hispanic population was most likely greater than the census data suggests, many of them were undocumented.  The North Charleston police department is one of several city police forces in Charleston, South Carolina.  It is a relatively large police department, and it was headed by Police Chief Jon Zumalt.

            The main problem facing the police department in Charleson was the high level of mistrust of the police from the Hispanic community.  With the changing attitudes towards immigration, the Hispanic immigrants were more likely to be the victims of violent crime.  However, this crime would go unreported because the immigrants were afraid of being deported.  This was a new problem in Charleston, but it had already surfaced in numerous cities that were closer to the American/Mexican border.  All community members were affected by the increase in racial tensions, because the crime rates increased as many violent crimes were retaliatory in nature.

            The Charleston programs that were implemented mostly focused on the culture of the police department, trying to increase the sensitivity of the police themselves to make them more able to communicate their intentions to the community.  One program, Police Immersion, required all new police cadets to become completely immersed in the community during police academy.  They would spend the entire time during their immersion period going door to door in the community to hear complaints and suggestions, and they were expected to attend community events and forums.  This made them more aware of specific issues in each of the ethnic communities, as well as the different forms of respect in various cultures.  Zumalt found that this program was highly effective in changing the way the community saw the police, as they began to accept the police as part of the community instead of as outside actors.  The police themselves reported feeling a greater stake in the community which in turn led to a more proactive approach at solving community problems rather than just enforcing arbitrary regulations.

            Police officers were also expected to maintain the relationships that they developed with community leaders through other initiatives such as a biweekly lunch between officers and local school children.  Neighborhoods began to hold raffles and dinners for the police and their various community initiatives, and by encouraging connections between officers and the community, several other alternative programs such as the Youth Court system were made possible.

            The “Sell the Stop” program was another policy enacted within the police department, although one that focused more inwardly.  Police officers were told that they must follow a list of communication points during traffic stops, and they were supposed to better explain who they were and exactly why the stop was made.  This was intended to give the community a better idea of exactly the role of the police force, and was intended to make it clear to the immigrant community that the stops were in now way related to immigration enforcement. (Spineli, 2010)

            The program was a clear success when measured by a decrease in crime rates.  Violent crime in North Charleston since the inception of the program dropped almost a third, and the murder rate dropped by 66%.  Chief Zumalt believes that the programs have increased the trust of the community in the police force, and the community has begun to take a more proactive role in the prevention of crime as seen by increased participation in programs such as Youth Court and Neighborhood Watch.  The police department was in the process of developing relationships between other organizations in the community such as faith based charities, in order to broaden its ability to reach out to under-served populations such as the homeless.