POLICE DEPLOYMENT THEORIES AND THE MEXICAN AMERICAN (FROM POLICE IN AMERICA, 1975, BY JEROME H SKOLNICK AND THOMAS C GRAY - SEE NCJ-19813)

• NCJ Number: 19824
• Author(s): A MORALES
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 8 pages
• Corporate Author: Little, Brown and Co
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

IT IS ARGUED THAT HIGHER POLICE MANPOWER DEPLOYMENT IN MINORITY SECTIONS OF A CITY IS UNJUSTIFIED, AS IT IS BASED ON THE ERRONEOUS ASSUMPTION THAT MORE SERIOUS OR VIOLENT CRIME OCCURS IN THESE AREAS.

Abstract

DEPLOYMENT STRATEGIES SUCH AS THE PROPORTIONAL NEED THEORY USUALLY TAKE INTO ACCOUNT SUCH FACTORS AS NUMBER OF CALLS FOR SERVICE FROM SPECIFIC AREAS, CRIME RATES, AND POPULATION IN DETERMINING DEPLOYMENT LEVELS. CONCENTRATION OF PATROL OFFICERS IN A MINORITY SECTION OF A CITY IS RATIONALIZED BY THE FACT THAT THESE ARE HIGHER CRIME AREAS. THE AUTHOR ARGUES THAT SUCH SATURATION OF AN AREA BY POLICE OFFICERS IS LIKELY TO TURN UP MORE CRIME AND PRODUCE A LARGER NUMBER OF ARRESTS, THUS CAUSING THE HIGH CRIME RATES IN THESE AREAS. THIS PATTERN OF HIGH CRIME AND ARREST RATES, IT IS CONTENDED, ARE THEN USED IN A CIRCULAR FASHION TO CALCULATE DEPLOYMENT STRATEGIES. THE AUTHOR ARGUES THAT THERE IS NO WAY OF MEASURING THE VALIDITY OF THE ORIGINAL THEORETICAL ASSUMPTION THAT CRIME RATES ARE HIGHER IN MINORITY SECTIONS. STATISTICS ARE PROVIDED SHOWING SIMILAR CRIME RATES FOR MEXICAN AMERICAN AND WHITE MIDDLE-CLASS AREAS, AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF THIS PROBLEM TO THE HIGH ARREST RATES FOR DRUNKENNESS OF MEXICAN AMERICANS IS EXPLORED.