ABSTRACT
The numerous violations uncovered at the inspections—ranging from code violations to missing alarms on fire escape doors to garbage piled up in the alley—were revealed at the hearing, which was attended by 40 beat residents acting as court advocates. They traveled there together on a bus provided by another city department. Sergeants directly in charge had a clearer idea about what beat officers were doing, but at that level commitment to the program was spotty. City hall staff members developed a management system for coordinating responses to beat officers' service requests and monitoring how responsive the service agencies were. The residents of some beats were largely white, others were predominately Latino or African-American in composition, and some were extremely diverse. Some of the beats were packed with large apartment buildings, while single family homes prevailed elsewhere. In Chicago, problem solving was supposed to be everyone's job, beginning with all of the uniformed officers serving in all of the city's neighborhoods.
