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Community Capitals Policing in Action at the Ashland Youth Complex

During the height of the pandemic, community members in Ashland became concerned about the skate park at the REACH Youth Access Center (REACH) being taken over at night by people drinking and tagging walls with graffiti.

“The park was a mess,” said Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ASCO) Deputy Daniel Murphy. “Families didn't want to go back. The nearby youth center was concerned, and the schools were concerned, because this criminal element had just kind of moved in.”

Deputy Murphy’s first instinct was not to make arrests, but rather to reach out to other community agencies and nonprofit partners to develop solutions to increase the safety of the space. By partnering with the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (HARD), REACH staff, and the San Lorenzo Unified School District, he came up with a plan to deter the graffiti by adding vehicle gates to the parking lot to prevent car access late at night when the crime was taking place and increasing the wattage of the parking lot lights. He also worked with the Patrol Division to increase patrols at night and proactively during the day.

The plan worked. The graffiti slowed down to a trickle, saving approximately $10,000 in repainting costs.
 

During the height of the pandemic, community members in Ashland became concerned about the skate park at the REACH Youth Access Center (REACH) being taken over at night by people drinking and tagging walls with graffiti.

“The park was a mess,” said Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ASCO) Deputy Daniel Murphy. “Families didn't want to go back. The nearby youth center was 

The nearby Ashland Little League baseball park, located next to the Edendale Middle School, was also being vandalized with graffiti, and the fields were in bad shape. Deputy Murphy took the initiative again. First, he wrote a proposal to Sheriff Gregory Ahern to request funds to improve the baseball park. The Sheriff contributed $25,000 to refurbish the fields and put in irrigation systems to make fields more playable for local youth. Next, Deputy Murphy began working with community artist Bobby Arte to design concepts for a mural to be painted at the skate park. Colorful murals discourage graffiti, especially when they involve local artists and youth. The mural planned for the skate park will incorporate images of skateboarding and other activities that will appeal and resonate with the community of users.

Deputy Murphy’s approach to solving public safety issues is one that ACSO has proudly employed for nearly two decades. It’s a community-driven and project-based policing framework that gives officers the flexibility to solve problems creatively and collaboratively. Called Community Capitals Policing, it’s based on building relationships with youth and adults in the community and engaging them in activities that are built upon their existing cultural strengths. Deputies in ACSO’s Youth and Family Services Bureau are trained to prevent crime before it happens and make enforcement and arrest the tools of last resort.
 

“Community Capitals Policing is not only proactive at stopping crimes but also looks at root causes that are driving citizens to commit crimes,” explained Deputy Murphy. “It develops partnerships within the community to build upon pre-existing community culture.”
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We are waiting on a system update to report our current numbers, but in the meantime, let's reflect on the great work accomplished between April 2020 and June 2021!

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