NCJ Number
50048
Journal
Police Magazine Volume: 1 Issue: 4 Dated: (SEPTEMBER 1978) Pages: 4-16
Date Published
1978
Length
13 pages
Annotation
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF POLICE PATROL IN PREVENTING AND REDUCING CRIME IS EVALUATED. STUDIES IN A NUMBER OF CITIES ARE MENTIONED.
Abstract
STUDIES SUGGEST THAT PATROL DOES NOT PREVENT CRIME, AND THE MAJOR ISSUE IS HOW PATROL OFFICERS SHOULD SPEND THEIR TIME IN ORDER TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE. IN A YEAR-LONG EXPERIMENT CONDUCTED IN KANSAS CITY, MO., THE RESULTS OF WHICH WERE RELEASED IN 1974, FIVE BEATS WERE PATROLLED IN THE TRADITIONAL MANNER. FIVE BEATS WERE ASSIGNED DOUBLE THEIR PATROL FORCE, AND PATROL CARS ENTERED ONLY ON CALLS FOR SERVICE IN FIVE OTHER BEATS. THE EXPERIMENT SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE INCIDENCE OF PREVENTABLE CRIMES (ROBBERY, BURGLARY, AUTOMOBILE THEFT, LARCENY, AND VANDALISM) AMONG THE THREE GROUPS OF BEATS. IT ALSO INDICATED THAT CITIZENS WERE NO MORE AFRAID OF CRIME IN UNPATROLLED BEATS THAN THEY WERE IN PATROLLED BEATS. ANOTHER STUDY IN KANSAS CITY WAS CONCERNED WITH FAST RESPONSE TO ALL CALLS. IT CONCLUDED THAT EVEN QUICK RESPONSES TO MOST CALLS YIELDED FEW ARRESTS BECAUSE CITIZENS GENERALLY TOOK SO LONG TO REPORT CRIMES. THE STUDY ALSO IMPLIED THAT, FOR NONEMERGENCY CALLS, RESPONSE TIME COULD BE DELAYED EVEN FOR DAYS, WITH LITTLE COMPLAINT FROM CITIZENS. TEAM POLICING, CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION MANAGEMENT, CRIME PREVENTION, AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS PROGRAMS PURPORT TO ADDRESS IN SOME WAY THE PROBLEM OF WHAT TO DO WITH PATROL TIME. DIRECTED PATROL IS A NAME GIVEN BY SEVERAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS TO PROGRAMS THEY HAVE DEVISED TO ORGANIZE THEIR PATROL DIVISIONS IN DIFFERENT WAYS. MOST DIRECTED PATROL PROJECTS ARE FUNDED THROUGH LEAA GRANTS. FIVE SUCH PROJECTS IN THE CONNECTICUT CITIES OF NEW HAVEN, NORTH HAVEN, AND MILFORD AND IN WILMINGTON, DEL., AND KANSAS CITY, MO., ARE DETAILED. THE WILLINGNESS OF POLICE DEPARTMENTS TO EXPERIMENT WITH INNOVATIVE PATROL STRUCTURES, SUCH AS PREVENTIVE PATROL, IS DISCUSSED. (DEP)