NCJ Number
94175
Date Published
1984
Length
141 pages
Annotation
This evaluation of the Metro Task Force (MTF) -- a contingent of New Jersey State Police assigned to Trenton for the March-September 1981 period to provide the municipal police with additional proactive manpower -- concludes that it is an effective approach to some types of public order problems even though it does not reduce street crime dramatically.
Abstract
The evaluation focused on five areas: program implementation, MTF operations, relationship between State police and the local criminal justice system, reaction of the citizens, and impact of the MTF on reported crime and arrests. Information sources included internal agency documents, interviews with personnel on the MTF, city police, newspaper articles, a telephone survey of city residents, and crime statistics for Trenton compared with other jurisdictions. The evaluation found that the MTF was implemented successfully, since the State police adapted quickly to the demands of urban patrol, were highly visible, took an aggressive and proactive approach to street crime, and avoided activities from which they were exempt such as answering routine calls for service and conducting followup investigations. The MTF was not brought fully into the operation of the Trenton Police Department, but worked primarily with the backup units. The greatest coordination problems arose not within the police force, but in the nexus between the police and the county prosecutor's office. The troopers were not familiar with the understandings on handling cases that had evolved between the police and prosecutors and consequently developed some distrust toward the prosecutor's office. While the evaluation did not provide much direct evidence that the MTF operation increased the public's sense of safety, surveys did suggest that the operation was well-received by residents. The analysis also failed to reveal any changes in levels of index crimes that could be attributed to the MTF. Tables and graphs are included.