Government Executive's Guide to Arson Prevention and Control - A Handbook on Information Systems and Action Programs

• NCJ Number: 86285
• Author(s): C L Karchmer; M V McGuire; J Greenfield; K Robinett
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 163 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Corporate Author: Battelle Human Affairs Research Ctrs
• Sale Source: US Dept of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Admin
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Revised Edition

Annotation

This guide discusses the government executive's role in arson prevention programs, arson early warning and information management systems, juvenile arsonist programs, methods to prevent revenge arson, and the relationship of housing economics to residential arson.

Abstract

In the opening chapter, the experiences of Seattle, Wash., and New Haven, Conn., are used to demonstrate that government executives' coordination of a total antiarson mobilization holds enormous deterrent potential. In New Haven, an executive task force recommended creation of a joint police-fire department arson squad, arson training for fire and police investigators, and development of a fire and arson information system, and each recommendation was implemented. In Seattle, the fire chief developed a citywide program to improve arson investigation, using the media to inform citizens and potential arsonists about arson investigations and arrests as well as prevention activities and training programs. Another chapter examines the dynamics contributing to the deterioration of innercity housing and the relationship of arson rates to deteriorated housing, followed by descriptions of programs to combat this circumstance. A third chapter provides an introduction to Arson Information Management Systems (AIMS) and describes the seven AIMS programs currently operating in the United States, so as to assist any jurisdiction in using an AIMS system suited to its own needs. Malicious and nonmalicious motives for arson by juveniles are identified and discussed in the fourth chapter, and diagnosis and treatment programs are considered under the categories of premises-focused and firesetter-focused programs. The final chapter considers characteristics of revenge-motivated arson, applies lessons from domestic-dispute intervention to revenge-motivated arson, considers some general options for revenge arson prevention programs, and presents steps in planning a revenge arson prevention program. Resource directories and technical bibliographies are provided.