NCJ Number
75549
Date Published
1980
Length
20 pages
Annotation
A burglary prevention program operated by the Sheriff's Department of Monterey County, Calif., was evaluated with respect to the efforts made and the program's effectiveness.
Abstract
The program included community outreach activities, liaison within and between agencies, and planning activities. Program elements included Operation Identification, crime prevention talks, door to door canvassing, dissemination of crime prevention literature, technical assistance to other law enforcement personnel, and development of crime prevention materials. The evaluation was conducted via a performance audit, a multiple time series analysis to determine the program impact, and a comparative analysis focusing on burglary rates in the target area. Results showed that the efforts of the burglary prevention program staff were satisfactory, with particularly outstanding efforts in the area of community outreach. Although burglary rates were not reduced, the consistent increase in the burglary rate was halted. Findings also showed that residential burglary was the main form of burglary and that victim carelessness was the main reason for residential burglary. Moreover, commercial burglaries do not tend to be caused by victim carelessness or inadequate locks, although businesses should still place increased emphasis on proper installation and maintenance of alarm systems. Results also support the decision to incorporate this burglary prevention program into the mainstream of the Sheriff's Department operations. Involvement of the Sheriff's Department in long-term crime prevention planning for the county is recommended. Tables and footnotes are provided. (Author abstract modified)