Project SCOPE: Philadelphia's New Model of Police Co-Response

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

Objective: In Philadelphia, a city that has also seen homelessness, crime, and drug use negatively affect public transit ridership, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) has implemented an innovative and comprehensive program called Project SCOPE. In this modified co-response model, outreach workers independently engage vulnerable populations and connect them with social services while having the option to request police assistance. This panel will provide an overview of Project SCOPE and preliminary findings from an evaluation that has been conducted since 2022.
Data/Methods: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) that examines the impact of the social workers at the subway stations is examined.
Results: Results from the evaluation demonstrate increasing success in the proportion of vulnerable individuals accepting offers for social services by the outreach teams. Additionally, the study shows changes in certain police enforcement actions.
Conclusions/Implications: The implications of these findings are discussed in the broader context of police co-response models. Other implications for conducting research with urban public agencies are considered.

Sub Unit

• Area VI. The Criminal Justice System / 41. Police Strategies, Interventions, and Evaluations

Individual Presentations

• An “Untethered” Police Co-Response Model: Early Results from an Evaluation of Project SCOPE  - Jordan Hyatt, Drexel University; Robert Kane, Drexel University; Matthew Teti, Drexel University

• Recalibrating Police Responses to Vulnerable Individuals: The Next Generation of Co-Response - Robert Kane, Drexel University; Jordan Hyatt, Drexel University; Matthew Teti, Drexel University

• How a Public Transit Agency Responded to Crime, Drug Addiction, and Homelessness in a Post-Pandemic World - Matthew Teti, Drexel University; Robert Kane, Drexel University; Jordan Hyatt, Drexel University

Discussant

• Matt Hickman, Seattle University