NCJ Number
91788
Date Published
1983
Length
415 pages
Annotation
This study examines why police services are distributed as they appear in the Dakotas.
Abstract
Using Central Place Theory as a general framework, the numbers and locations of police officers present are hypothesized to be positively related both to local population changes and to the amounts of external funding which police departments receive. To determine the validity of these hypotheses, the role of the police in the Dakotas, the distribution of crime in the region, and the functional operations of law enforcement at the municipal, county, and State levels are examined. A statistical analysis compares the numbers of police officers employed, crime rates, and taxes paid per capita with various socioeconomic and geographical criteria within each county. Case studies focus on three disparate counties -- a rural area losing population, an energy-impacted area, and an urbanized setting. A chapter on reservation crime and law enforcement, emphasizing the problems of Indian-white police cooperation is presented, as is a general model of factors influencing police services in areas similar to the Dakotas. The study concludes that spatial distribution of police services in the Dakotas is closely related to the population at each site, but is also influenced by the rapidity of change there. A trend toward consolidation of police services in some areas is noted, as are the very serious jurisdictional problems between the reservations and other local jurisdictions. Maps, tables, and a bibliography of over 300 items is provided. Study data and instruments are appended. (Author abstract modified)