The Dutch, Swedes, and Finns were the first European settlers in New Jersey. Bergen, founded in 1660, was New Jersey's first permanent European settlement. In 1664 the Dutch lost New Netherlands when the British took control of the land and added it to their colonies.
Increasing numbers of people no longer view the safety of their neighbor- hoods as the sole responsibility of the police. Throughout the world, citizens in areas plagued by crime and violence are uniting to work with local gov- ernment. Together, they have the knowledge and resources to identify and remove the sources of crime, drug use, and juvenile delinquency in their communities.
Developing and sustaining these partnerships requires strong local leadership from mayors, city managers, city planners, and other elected local officials. This monograph was prepared to help create that leadership by chronicling how local public officials have used community safety partnerships to build healthier communities.
A framework for using community-local government partnerships to reduce crime now exists based on the experiences of public officials in North America, Europe, Africa, and Australasia. This framework includes the following:
• Recognizing crime and safety as a quality-of-life issue.
• Working across jurisdictional boundaries.
• Recognizing the crucial role of political leadership.
• Developing tools and measures of success that involve the community and victims of crime.
The programs examined in this monograph illustrate that this framework works best when adapted to the specific needs of a community. Good gover- nance requires that mayors and other key local officials develop the capaci-
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