Police Methods for Identifying Community Problems

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Police Methods for Identifying Community Problems

• Webster Connors (1993)

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Community-Oriented Policing

• Lots of interest among police chiefs
• Little knowledge, though
• 80 reported needing assistance or research on
  the subject
• 69 report interest in apply problem solving
  techniques specifically to drug problems

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COP v. POP

• Commonalities
• Recognize need to draw community police closer
• Consultations between police residents
• Development of strategies to fit neighborhood
  needs
• Mobilization of community resources
• But, Community Policing encourages a higher level
  of community problem identification analysis
• Fine tuning of an existing COP program
• A specific enhancement to COP

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Community Policing

• Described as a philosophy and an organizational
  strategy
• It broadens the police mandate by placing an
  increased emphasis on involving the community in
  identifying problems and exploring solutions
• Problems such as fear of crime, crime prevention,
  disorder, neighborhood deterioration
• Recognize link between blight and crime

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Variation in COP

• Common philosophy but varying emphasis
• Portland (OR) partnership, empowerment,
  problem solving, accountability, service
• Montgomery County (MD) ultimately COP is what
  the Dept. and the community agree it to be
• Seattle (WA) COP is an operating philosophy
  rather than specific tactics
• Tempe (AZ) COP is partnership between police
  and community to improve the quality of life in
  our city by identifying and resolving public
  safety concerns

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What COP Is Not

• Agreement on what COP is not
• Not an attempt to turn police officers into
  social workers
• Not a return to unprofessionalism, payoffs, and
  political manipulation
• Not a public relations ploy
• Not limited community relations unit

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Problem Solving

• 4 steps
• Identification or scanning
• Analysis
• Response
• Assessment
• Researchers voice concern about pinning it down
  in ways that might inhibit its continued growth

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1970s

• Cop has been around since the 1970s
• Many successful programs aiming at identifying
  and solving community problems
• Foot patrol program in Flint (MI)
• Community policing experiments in Madison (WI),
  Edmonton (Canada), Houston (TX), Newark (NJ)
• NYC Community Patrol Officer Program (COPE)
• USDOJ has increased its commitment to COP
• BJA finding of programs
• weed and seed

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Problem Identification

• Officer Attitudes
• Many officers see COP as just another fad
• COP calls on officers to focus on disorder or on
  environmental conditions that facilitate crime
• This might conflict with their view of the crime
  fighter
• Other personnel must be convinced of the merits
  of COP in order for it to succeed
• Personnel who prepare the budget, purchase
  equipment, perform crime analysis

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Departmental Preparation Support

• Other problems can be encountered relating to the
  departments preparation for COP
• Officers need time to engage in problem
  identification solving
• Well-staffed lower crime dept.s have no worry
• What about busy dept.?
• COP is at mercy of 911
• An absence of rewards for problem solving may
  also inhibit problem identification

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Ways to Identify Problems

• Officer observation experience
• Excellent way to learn of problems is to listen
  to patrol officers recount their experiences
• Patrol officers can also identify opportunities
  to prevent crime
• Patrol officers assigned to neighborhoods have
  opportunities to observe neighborhood conditions

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Crime Analysis

• Minneapolis (MN)
• Found 50 of calls came from 3 of places
• All robbery calls came from 2.2 of places
• All rape calls came from 1.2 of places
• All auto thefts came from 2.7 of places
• Use crime analysis and crime mapping to uncover
  crime patterns

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Community Groups

• Soliciting information from community groups
  citizens good way to get them involved in their
  own problem solving
• Neighborhood Watch
• Cautions
• Their concerns might not reflect those of the
  neighborhood as a whole
• Group members are not necessarily representative
  of those who would be affected by proposed
  solutions
• Police must be careful not to raise expectations

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Surveys

• Officers may canvass business proprietors for
  information
• Officers can telephone businesses
• Officers may survey residents
• Officer surveys can be used to develop beat
  profile
• Great PR tool

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Other Information Sources

• TV
• Newspapers
• Letters to the editor
• editorials
• Radio
• Local talk shows

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Appropriate Problems for Patrol Problem Solving

• Burglaries concentrated in a given area
• Auto thefts from a mall
• Drug activity at a private residence
• Loitering in a given area
• Parking traffic problems
• Prostitution
• Cruising