POLICE-CIVILIAN FOOT PATROL - AN EVALUATION OF THE PAC-TAC (POLICE AND CITIZENS-TOGETHER AGAINST CRIME) EXPERIMENT IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK

• NCJ Number: 26591
• Author(s): T S SMITH; J E WILLIAMS; R L SMITH
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 228 pages
• Grant Number(s): 74-NI-02-0002; 72 DF-02-0023
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: University of Rochester
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

PAC-TAC IS AN EXPERIMENTAL PILOT CITY DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM CONDUCTED IN 1973-1974, WHICH PAIRED ROCHESTER POLICE OFFICERS AND LOCAL CITIZENS WALKING BEATS IN SELECTED ROCHESTER NEIGHBORHOODS.

Abstract

THIS REPORT PRESENTS AN ANALYSIS OF DATA COLLECTED AND ANALYZED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF PILOT CITY STAFF, AS PART OF THE OVERALL EVALUATION OF THE PAC-TAC I-II PROGRAM. THREE KINDS OF EVIDENCE ABOUT THE PROGRAM ARE EXAMINED -- ETHNOGRAPHIC DATA ON THE TEAMS' WORK IN VARIOUS NEIGHBORHOODS; AN ANALYSIS OF THE ATTITUDES OF TEAM MEMBERS AND THEIR REPORTED WORK; AND AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF THE EXPERIMENTAL STIMULI ON RECORDS OF OFFENSES AND ARRESTS DURING THE PERIOD OF THE PROGRAM. THE REPORT INDICATES THAT THE PAC-TAC EXPERIMENT DID NOT HAVE A CONSISTENT EFFECT UPON CRIME, AND MAY HAVE OPERATED BOTH TO DETER CRIME AND TO INCREASE REPORTING IN SOME INSTANCES. A TENDENCY TO DISPLACE REPORTED OFFENSES IN BOTH TIME AND SPACE WAS ALSO OBSERVED. ETHNOGRAPHIC OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT THE POLICE PARTNER IN POLICECIVILIAN TEAMS CONSISTENTLY DOMINATED, DETERMINING TEAM STYLE AND DIVISION OF LABOR; SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AMONG OFFICERS' APPROACHES TO THEIR ROLE WERE NOTED, HOWEVER. THE REPORT CONCLUDES THAT WHILE FOOT PATROLS CANNOT BE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE MUCH IMPACT ON CRIME, THE PAC-TAC EXPERIENCE CAN PROVIDE A BASIS FOR FURTHER EXPERIMENTATION IN THE USE OF FOOT PATROLS TO REDUCE POLICE-COMMUNITY ESTRANGEMENT. QUESTIONNAIRES USED IN THE EVALUATION ARE APPENDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)