NCJ Number
150660
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 40 Issue: 3 Dated: special issue (July 1994) Pages: 331-353
Date Published
1994
Length
23 pages
Annotation
An evaluation was conducted to estimate the effects of a well-funded community policing demonstration program in Joliet, Illinois; changes in police officer perceptions and behaviors were examined over a 2-year period, during which time officers were exposed to new training programs, organizational restructuring, and problem-solving activities.
Abstract
The Joliet Police Department obtained a grant in 1990 to develop and implement a Neighborhood-Oriented Policing (NOP) and Problem-Solving Demonstration Project. The first year of the program was devoted primarily to educational and organizational changes that would facilitate the transition from traditional, incident-driven policing to problem- oriented policing. Efforts to implement community policing were intensified during the second program year. Effects of the NOP program on police personnel and the police organization were estimated using a nonequivalent pretest- posttest control group design to obtain three waves of survey data. Results showed few changes in police officer perceptions of management practices or job satisfaction but documented some positive changes in attitudes toward and knowledge of community policing. The absence of change, however, was the norm rather than the exception. Explanations for the small gains associated with community policing are offered. 29 references, 11 notes, and 1 table