NCJ Number
114774
Date Published
1988
Length
85 pages
Annotation
This document describes the philosophy, processes and experiences that contributed to a policy and operational shift to neighborhood-oriented policing by the Houston Police Department (HPD).
Abstract
The goal of neighborhood-oriented policing is to develop an interactive relationship with community residents to enhance service delivery. The strategy emphasizes the establishment of trust among residents and the beat officer, decentralization, information exchange, maximization of police and community resource utilization, a collaborative management structure using both staff and public inputs, data collection and analysis to identify neighborhood problems and their solution, and incentives to improve employee morale. Implementation of neighborhood-oriented policing included (1) deployment strategies of beat integrity, one-officer units, tactical assignment, and designated report units; (2) team interaction strategies of information sharing and investigative sergeants/decentralized investigation; (3) job diversification strategies including patrol officer followup investigations, supportive response team, structured patrol, participatory management, and assistant squad leaders; (3) strategies of beat profiling and crime analysis; and (4) community strategies including community relations officers, directed area responsibility teams, and specialized programs aimed at fear reduction and improvement of the quality of life in blighted neighborhoods. Specialized training in such areas as community organization, referral, and decisionmaking and a crime analysis system that conducts centralized, decentralized, and investigative analyses have contributed to neighborhood-oriented policing strategies. Finally, process evaluations of the effort address historical information, developmental activity, and intervention documentation. Photographs.