NCJ Number
83015
Date Published
1981
Length
291 pages
Annotation
Testimony before California's Joint Committee for Revision of the Penal Code reviews innovative local crime prevention efforts to determine what makes these programs successful and what needs to be done at the State level to assist other communities in developing cost-effective crime prevention programs.
Abstract
Hearings were held in San Diego and Los Angeles. In both cities, local government officials, representatives from local law enforcement, the Attorney General's office, the Office of Criminal Justice Planning, and active participants in local crime prevention programs testified. Witnesses testified about the factors deemed essential to a comprehensive and successful local crime prevention program. Witnesses emphasized the importance of citizen participation coupled with the support of local law enforcement agencies and local governing bodies. Effective neighborhood alert programs shared these features: local control, one resident in each neighborhood to undertake the responsibility of promoting crime prevention, sustained volunteer participation, and methods for maintaining enthusiasm for the program. Witnesses agreed that crime can be more effectively prevented if police officers are placed in a neighborhood long enough to know its character, its crime problems, and some of the problems facing the residents. Target hardening was identified as necessary for optimum security. Testimony tended to indicate the need for legislation to create uniformity of building security standards, to provide for adequate law enforcement training, and to establish a comprehensive program to assist communities in developing effective crime prevention programs. (Author summary modified)