NCJ Number
54905
Date Published
1979
Length
15 pages
Annotation
THE EFFORTS OF BROWN DEER, WIS., CRIME PREVENTION PROJECT AT REDUCING BURGLARY, THEFT, VANDALISM, AND SHOPLIFTING ARE EVALUATED.
Abstract
AN ANALYSIS OF LOCAL CRIME STATISTICS IN BROWN DEER, WIS., INDICATED THAT BURGLARY AND THEFT WERE THE MOST PREVALENT OF PART I PROPERTY CRIMES, AND THAT BETWEEN 1974 AND 1977, BURGLARY INCREASED 29 PERCENT AND THEFT INCREASED 5 PERCENT. THE GOAL OF THE CRIME PREVENTION PROJECT WAS TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF BOTH OFFENSES BY 5 PERCENT BY THE END OF THE 2-YEAR PROJECT PERIOD. ADDITIONAL ATTENTION WAS TO BE DEVOTED TO THE CRIMES OF VANDALISM AND SHOPLIFTING. TO EFFECT A REDUCTION IN THE TARGETED CRIMES, THE BROWN DEER RESISTANCE UNIT UTILIZED THE FOLLOWING TECHNIQUES: (1) INCREASING COMMUNITY AWARENESS OF CRIME AND CRIME PREVENTION, (2) PROJECT THEFT GUARD AND (3) RESIDENTIAL AND BUSINESS SECURITY SURVEYS. TO INCREASE COMMUNITY AWARENESS ARTICLES WERE PRINTED IN LOCAL NEWSPAPERS AND NEWSLETTERS AND PRESENTATIONS WERE MADE AT MEETING OF LOCAL CLUBS. A LITERATURE AND POSTER CAMPAIGN WAS LAUNCHED SPECIFICALLY TO COMBAT SHOPLIFTING AND VANDALISM. PROJECT THEFT GUARD WAS AN IDENTIFICATION OPERATION DESIGNED TO DETER THEFT BY MARKING POSSESSIONS WITH OWNER'S LICENSE PLATE NUMBERS OR THE LIKE. THIS PROJECT WAS ALSO DESIGNED TO MAKE FENCING MORE DIFFICULT. THE CRIME RESISTANCE UNIT OFFERED SURVEYS TO RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS PERSONS IN THE BROWN DEER AREA. THE PURPOSE OF THE SURVEYS WAS TO SUGGEST STRUCTURAL CHANGES WHICH WOULD IMPROVE SECURITY. USING RECORD DATA, COMPARISONS WERE MADE OF PREPROJECT AND PROJECT STATISTICS. THE DATA SHOW AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF THE TARGETED OFFENSES. FURTHERMORE, THE PERCENTAGE OF OFFENSES CLEARED BY ARREST DECREASED FOR BOTH BURGLARY AND THEFT. HOWEVER, IT SHOULD BE KEPT IN MIND THAT PROJECT DATA INVOLVED ONLY A 3-MONTH PERIOD. TABLES AND SURVEY ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--MLC)