As police shootings occur more and more frequently and local residents separate themselves further and further from the very people that serve and protect them, the city of Los Angeles steps in with a new program hoping to change this urgent situation. Named the Community Safety Partnership (CSP), this operation hopes to sever the relationship of distrust between the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the people of Los Angeles by encouraging police interaction throughout the community. This project was first engaged in housing developments, namely Jordan Downs, Nickerson Gardens, Imperial Gardens and Ramona Gardens.

A recent site of controversy happened in Harvard Park, where Brandon Tatum was fatally shot while returning from a trip to the market on Jan. 11. Harvard Park had been a very big focal point for city officials, ever since gang violence spiked in the summer of 2015. City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson recounted the three homicides and the half dozen shootings that happened in the presence of children and their families.

This violent part of South Los Angeles is now the main target of the program and is where 11 police officers are to serve for five years to improve police-resident relationships through youth programs, community projects and job training, among many other public services. Out of all the places employing this program, Harvard Park is the first to be privately funded. The Ballmer Group, founded by Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, will provide $750,000 to the area over the course of three years. Mayor Eric Garcetti held a news conference at the city park on Mar. 3, remarking on how he envisions the program will “make sure that police officers aren’t just visitors—they are part of the community, they build deep relationships, they become mentors to our young people.”

At the Jordan Downs Housing Project in Watts, Los Angeles, this community-policing initiative has led to a significant decrease in murder crime—specifically, an entire three-year period without a single homicide committed in the community. Other locations serviced by the implementation of this program have enjoyed a noteworthy clearance rate in local homicides of 81%. Police Chief Charlie Beck noticed what a difference the police department’s efforts have made; back when he was working in the area around Jordan Downs, fewer than 50% of homicides were solved primarily due to tensions between residents, the gangs and the police. Chief Beck stated that the revolutionary CSP program has definitively proved that it “can restore public spaces” to a more peaceful and inviting environment that all can enjoy.

The LAPD will continue to station its active officers to these positions instead of hiring brand new people for the Harvard Park Program. The funds contributed by the Ballmer Group will be used in perfecting the neighborhood and in paying the working officers. The Weingart Foundation will also provide money to launch the CSP with three months of input from nearby residents.