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Exemplary Project
The Habitual Offender Adoption Program (HOAP) Mt. Pleasant (SC) Police Department A local woman was well known to the Mount Pleasant Police both for her colorful personality and over 30 arrests. Patrol Sergeant Stan Davis began talking in earnest relative to doing something about such repeat offenders and was later assigned by Chief Thomas J. Sexton to do just that. It was agreed that the same people seemed to cause most of the problems. Judges, correction workers, court clerks, and others also recognized the problem. The problem addressed by this program is the habitual offender who rarely commits any horribly violent or large-scale property crime, but who rather commits misdemeanor crimes and contributes to disorder. This is the offender of the loud noise complaint, verbal disputes, public intoxication, shoplifting, and vandalism. A police response is always needed, even if an arrest is not the solution. The unique and frustrating characteristic of this offender is their disproportionate drain on limited resources. It was widely believed that nothing could be done. Most police officers thought that responding and arresting was the limit of their options. The courts were seen to be in control from that point and there seemed little sense in trying anything more. Local prosecutors agreed that some people were frequent visitors to the system and gave the guidelines used to determine "career criminals" as a possible tactic. A March 1990 publication from the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), Repeat Offender Programs for Law Enforcement, cited research showing that 20 percent of criminals commit 80 percent of the crime. Sworn personnel in Mount Pleasant were asked for a list of their most frequent repeat contacts. The response contained the names of 32 juveniles and 44 adults. A computer search showed that the 12 most frequently identified adults had generated 105 contacts in one year and the 12 most frequently identified juveniles generated 91 contacts. Nearly all of the adult offenders were substance abusers. Further analysis found that a variety of conditions were placed on the offenders including trespass notices, counseling, mandatory employment, refrain from being re-arrested, do not drive, stay home nights, and house arrest. The only person who knew all of the conditions was the offender, who was certainly unlikely to report non-compliance. The general goal of the HOAP is to
reduce the number of contacts generated by habitual offenders.
The intent of the program is not only to "target" or
"crack down" but also provide the offenders with the attention and
assistance they need. The project
is named the Habitual Offenders Adoption Program to underscore its non-punitive
nature. Three approaches for meeting the goal were adopted and became known as
the three R's. The first is Reform,
which means helping the offender with referral services.
The second R is to Relocate, meaning that after leniency and lack of
accountability is eliminated, and the offender is unable or unwilling to conform
to community standards; the offender may choose to live where his/her activities
would not be so closely monitored. The
third R is Removal, in which the offender would be incarcerated after
prosecution, or placed in treatment if warranted. The first task is selection of the offenders. Survey feedback showed that some officers were only aware of offenders who were most notable (biggest, rudest, most resistant). For selection to be systematic and defensible, the offenders are ranked numerically using a "per quarter ratio" or PQR with two variations. One is a historical ratio (HPQR) developed from the date of first contact, and the second is a fiscal ratio (FPQR), covering the most recent twelve-month period. Calculating the PQR requires only two variables, (time and the number of contacts.) To calculate the Historical PQR these steps are used:
The PQR allows for the numerical ranking. For example, if an offender has had twenty contacts over two years, the PQR would be:
The higher the PQR, the more frequently the offender generates police contacts. The PQR also allows for tracking. The PQR will rise or fall depending on the number of contacts generated by the offenders and if the PQR drops to zero the offender may be considered no longer a problem. Because direct accountability to the criminal justice system is a problem, it was decided to assign one offender to each patrol officer below supervisory rank. The officer then uses the steps below to get started:
The guiding principle is to completely know the offender, not just his rap sheet. Research includes substance abuse problems, mental health difficulties, criminal histories and family information. The information is entered in a word processing format on disk, then printed out and placed in a provided notebook. The material is kept in the Field Operations Room so anyone could learn about the offender. The team that developed the program trained the entire patrol division and project guidebooks were given to each patrol supervisor. Soon offenders were in court with well prepared prosecuting officers. Judges heard solid testimony concerning the offender’s history and conditions given the offender in previous court appearances. Calls for service that normally would have generated verbal warning now generated arrests. Probate court provided long-term in-patient care to some offenders and property owners were assisted in the eviction process. Juveniles were referred to non-traditional schools and some were relocated to better environments. The notorious woman of over 30 arrests was re-united with her family in another state. The initial HOAP group netted impressive results. Fifty percent of the juveniles and 83 percent of the adults no longer generate contacts, for an overall reduction of 67 percent. Using the PQR it was calculated that 196 yearly contacts would have been generated. HOAP lowered that to 40 contacts. Subsequently, there have been three more groups identified and adopted with similar results. In 1997 the HOAP replaced the previous departmental policy and has gained attention from the University of South Carolina, the State Law Enforcement Division, and several local agencies. Since the initial start of the HOAP program the Mount Pleasant Police Department has adopted a total of 52 offenders. We are currently in the fourth edition of the program and have only four people who are holdovers from previous groups. Some adoptees have relocated, some have been removed, and some have straightened out. HOAP continues to be an exceptional tool for the problem of the habitual offender. Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry could afford to lock up the town drunk on a regular basis. The real world of 2000, however, is one of increasing demands and limited resources, and repeat offenders are a drain on those resources. The philosophy of community policing does not allow for a small number of offenders to unfairly take away from the rest of the community. We should not, nor do we have to allow the actions of a small number of offenders to monopolize our time when there are good and decent citizens who deserve our attention. Agency contact person is Lt. Stan Davis, Mt. Pleasant (SC) Police Department, (843) 884-4176.
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