NCJ Number
80967
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1981) Pages: 441-447
Date Published
1981
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The perceptions of 152 police executives about the impact of various police strategies on crime are described and analyzed.
Abstract
The executives were from California law enforcement agencies with from 25 to over 1,000 employees. The respondents were asked to rank effectiveness of the following basic police strategies: (1) visibility -- activity related to the visible presence of police; (2) apprehension -- activities through which the police are attempting to apprehend persons suspected of crime; (3) counseling -- activities which aim at influencing the motives of suspects and potential criminals through counseling; and (4) education -- activities designed to inform citizens about crime prevention measures. Executives ranked apprehension as being slightly more effective than visibility as police strategies, with education and counseling ranked significantly lower. In discussions following the ranking exercise, many of the participants indicated they would not have included counseling and education as aspects of basic police functions. The discussion also revealed that apprehension and visibility were ranked highest because respondents believed political and public expectations of police lie in these areas. Further, those giving these strategies highest ranking tended to believe that criminal behavior is a rational choice that can be weighted by increasing the risks associated with crime. Those viewing education as the second most effective strategy tended to attribute crime to sociobehavioral influences. Executives familiar with the Kansas City Patrol Study tended to rank visibility third or fourth as an effective strategy, arguing that the Kansas City study showed the ineffectiveness of patrol. Several executives ranked apprehension second or third as an effective strategy because of the perceived failures of the court system and corrections. Tabular data, 11 footnotes, and 11 references are provided.