PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF THE PORTLAND (OR) LIGHTING PROJECT

• NCJ Number: 15676
• Author(s): N R INSKEEP; C GOFF
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 17 pages
• Grant Number(s): 74-NI-10-0002
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Oregon Law Enforcement Council
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

AN EVALUATION OF THE PORTLAND LIGHTING PROJECT WHICH INVOLVED ADDING LIGHTS TO RESIDENTIAL CITY AREAS IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE CRIME.

Abstract

SOMEWHAT MORE THAN $50,000 IN LIGHTS WERE ADDED TO STREETS AND ALLEYS IN ROUGHLY 300 RESIDENTIAL CITY BLOCKS IN NORTH AND NORTHEAST PORTLAND AS PART OF A $250,000 LIGHTING PROJECT FUNDED BY THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE ADMINISTRATION AND THE CITY OF PORTLAND. THE GOAL OF THE PROJECT WAS TO REDUCE STRANGER-TO-STRANGER STREET CRIMES. THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION EXAMINED POSSIBLE PROJECT EFFECTS ON NIGHTTIME ROBBERIES, ASSAULTS, AND BURGLARIES KNOWN TO THE POLICE. THE STUDY TOOK INTO ACCOUNT THE USUAL FLUCTUATIONS IN CRIME LEVELS, CRIME TRENDS IN AREAS OF NORTH AND NORTHEAST PORTLAND WITH SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC TRAITS SIMILAR TO THE PROJECT AREA, SEASONAL FLUCTUATIONS, AND POSSIBLE DISPLACEMENT OF CRIMES INTO NEARBY AREAS. IT DID NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT SUCH FACTORS AS CHANGES IN PATROL ACTIVITY, CHANGES IN PEDESTRIAN AND MOTOR TRAFFIC, OR POSSIBLE CHANGES IN LIGHTING IN NEARBY AREAS. THIS PRELIMINARY STUDY CONCLUDES THAT THIS PART OF THE LIGHTINHG PROJECT DID NOT REDUCE CRIMES IN THE AREAS OF IMPROVED LIGHTING. SUBSTANTIATION OF THIS CONCLUSION MUST AWAIT FURTHER STUDY. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)