NCJ Number
44812
Date Published
1977
Length
99 pages
Annotation
THE IMPACT OF FINDINGS FROM THE KANSAS CITY PREVENTIVE PATROL EXPERIMENT AND THE RAND CORPORATION CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS STUDY ON ALLOCATION OF PATROL AND INVESTIGATIVE PERSONNEL IN POLICE AGENCIES IS ASSESSED.
Abstract
THE STUDY ALSO SOUGHT TO DETERMINE ANY DIFFERENCES IN THE MANNER IN WHICH POLICE ADMINISTRATORS LEARNED OF THE TWO STUDIES AND IN THE PROPORTIONS OF PERSONNEL ASSIGNED TO PATROL AND INVESTIGATIVE FUNCTIONS IN LARGE AND SMALL CITIES. DATA WERE GATHERED BY QUESTIONNAIRE FROM A RANDOM SAMPLE OF 125 POLICE ADMINISTRATORS (75 RESPONSES) IN CITIES WITH POPULATIONS BETWEEN 50,000 AND 100,000. NEITHER THE KANSAS CITY EXPERIMENT NOR THE RAND STUDY HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON ALLOCATION OF PATROL AND INVESTIGATIVE PERSONNEL IN THE AGENCIES SURVEYED. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN ALLOCATION BETWEEN LARGE AND SMALL CITIES, BUT THERE WERE DIFFERENCES IN THE MANNER IN WHICH ADMINISTRATORS LEARNED OF THE STUDIES. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT ADMINISTRATORS HAVE BEEN RELUCTANT TO EXPLORE ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO CRIME PROBLEMS EVEN WHEN RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT TRADITIONAL APPROACHES ARE NOT EFFECTIVE. IT IS ALSO CONCLUDED THAT ADMINISTRATORS TENDED TO BASE THEIR OPINIONS OF THE TWO STUDIES ON WHAT THEY HAD READ IN PROFESSIONAL JOURNALS AND IN SUMMARY REPORTS OF THE RESEARCH. SUPPORTING DATA, A COPY OF THE SURVEY INSTRUMENT, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--LKM)