GBPD partners with Psychology, Urban/Regional on helping neighborhood

The Green Bay Press-Gazette is reporting on a new initiative by the Police Department to reach out to residents in the South Broadway neighborhood in a new way that involves UW-Green Bay. The GBPD is partnering with the academic programs in Urban and Regional Studies, and Psychology, to assess needs and make recommendations. Interns are helping police analyze crime data from the neighborhood. Students and Assistant Prof. Adam Parrillo of Urban and Regional and Georjeanna Wilson-Doenges of Psychology helped police develop and distribute a survey designed to identify the neighborhood’s composition, people’s perception of police and everyone’s overall feeling of safety within the community. Student Lisa Coffen, who helped on the survey, is also doing a blight survey, to assess the quality of housing stock; she says she was pleasantly surprised that, so far, it appears much of the housing in the generally low-income neighborhood income is in fact in decent shape, by objective standards. She thinks the city could help revitalize the area with road improvements and upgrades to Eighth Street Park. Read more.