U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

COMMUNITY POLICING TO TAKE GUNS OFF THE STREET

NCJ Number
146774
Journal
Behavioral Sciences and the Law Volume: 11 Dated: (1993) Pages: 361-374
Author(s)
J W Shaw
Date Published
1993
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This paper describes one component of the Weed and Seed strategy in Kansas City, Mo. and examines its results in achieving the goal of using community policing to reduce gun violence.
Abstract

The project received approval in August 1991 and began its first phase, door-to-door policing, in March 1992. The visits were informational: residents received a flyer listing the anonymous gun tips hotline number. By May 21, the officers had visited all 1,259 addresses in beat 144 at least once. The analysis focused on whether the police could successfully gain community support in obtaining immediate, pertinent information about illegal gun carrying and whether the police could successfully use that information to seize illegally carried guns. The results revealed that although community residents who were surveyed had positive attitudes about the program, the program did not produce the desired gun tips or gun arrests. Findings suggest the need for other jurisdictions seeking new strategies to be aware of potential problems and to find ways to address them. Footnotes and 29 references