NCJ Number
151302
Journal
American Journal of Police Volume: 12 Issue: 3 Dated: (1993) Pages: 59-64
Date Published
1993
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This analysis of two crime prevention proposals presented by Richard Rosenfeld, Scott Decker, and Gregg Givens questions whether the goal of greater citizen involvement will be achieved by the recommended methods.
Abstract
A substantial array of research supports the rationale for greater citizen involvement. It indicates that citizens should be regarded as co-producers of police services and that traditional police tactics against crime are extremely limited in their effectiveness. The concept of community policing recognizes these findings by focusing police efforts on small quality-of-life issues that prevent fear of crime and the neighborhood deterioration associated with high levels of serious crime. Rosenfeld and Decker's proposal for an Assault Crisis Team is extremely ambitious, but they fail to describe the diagnosis and selection process and the treatment program and cannot guarantee participation in the program. Given's proposal for having some police calls referred to community groups mistakenly assumes that citizen groups or block captains will be available whenever an appropriate call arrives. In addition, citizen involvement in problems such as lost and found property and missing children could cause many problems rather than solving them, although further reflection and discussion might answer these and other concerns about this proposal. 12 references