The Projects

Say what you want about Public Housing. But, love it or leave it, it sure keeps Law Enforcement busy. The majority of tenants in these "projects" are law-abiding citizens and decent people, but it's the same well-meaning, often ignorant, individuals who allow their dope dealing "Baby('s) Daddy" to shack up with them illegally. These dopers and thieves leech off them while having the perfect opportunity to "set up shop." Also, groups of thugs prey on the fear of the residents of these complexes-- the elderly, the single moms-- to use the grounds for their own. They are like cockroaches in a dark, neglected closet. When someone calls for the police, pulling the string on the bare, swinging bulb, and we arrive as the brilliant, shocking, usually welcome light, they scatter and disappear into any crevice or crack they can find. Since we can't stay there all night, the "light" is eventually extinguished, and the criminal element slowly crawl out of their holes and begin again. Our city has several large complexes, with the moniker of "Courts" ironically attached to their namesakes, that are responsible for at least one call of violence per complex per shift per day. We've experienced several of our officer-involved shootings and double homicides upon their grounds. When a major incident occurs within a Project, all hell can break loose. Officers respond in force, sometimes shotgun in hand, to quickly gain control. The spectators, the majority of them not even residents, feel these times are their entertainment. It's like being inside a live TV episode of "Cops." Our interaction after our initial arrival must be measured. Being too thin-skinned and cocky can lead to riotous conditions. However, let the wrong inappropriate action go unnoticed, and the crowd will see how much more it can get away with. The most common problem in the projects, hit on earlier, is the drug dealing. As the War on Drugs will never be won on our level, with the tools and laws we currently have, the street officer still has his triumphs in this endeavor and organized "raids" into the projects can be very exciting. When I first started out, the city had more Public Housing projects than it does now (more on that later) and crack cocaine was really gaining a foothold here. We also had squads of officers that worked well together. We still have that but not on the scale of a decade ago where it was appropriately more hierarchal. A group of five to ten officers would arrange to storm a particular housing project. I liken it to survival on the great plains of Africa. The fastest lions caught the slowest antelope. We would circle our prey and charge. They always ran. The slowest would be caught for a number of reasons-- a) out of shape, b) not paying attention and, therefore, not able to take advantage of the adrenaline dump accompanying the flight that enabled some of these guys to literally leap six foot tall walls and fences, or c) just plain stupid or high off their own stuff. Or, the best, and most efficient way to do it was to herd them toward a waiting officer. That way neither the pursuers or the captors had to be that fast. Our detainee would always have something on him-- drugs or a weapon. It was amazing how many of them kept the contraband on their persons through the foot pursuit. It was a gamble they were willing to take. Lose your stash or lose your freedom. The suspect may also have a warrant or be on the Trespass List. Very rarely did someone who ran from the police and got caught not leave with something to remember us by. Jaywalking, and other minor misdemeanor citations, are wonderful tools. And, let's not forget, to paraphrase comedian Chris Rock, "Don't run from the Police. 'Cuz if the police have to chase you, they're bringing an a**-whippin' with them." Well, the City, in its infinite wisdom, has seen fit in recent years to demolish a number of our larger housing projects to make way for better endeavors. Primarily what has been put in their places are Greenspaces-- wide open areas of grass... and weeds... and trash. Yes, it was a pain responding to the Projects several times a night, and I genuinely do feel for the decent people who have to live there, but at least we knew where the crime was. Now, the only thing the City has accomplished is to spread the criminal element out into the working man's neighborhood to reach a whole new market. Looks like we still got our work cut out for us.