NCJ Number
147835
Date Published
1994
Length
27 pages
Annotation
The problem-oriented approach to policing and the situational approach to crime prevention have much in common; both have resulted from the search for more effective crime control measures.
Abstract
Both approaches share a common perspective in that they target specific crime problems and locations. Three case studies of problem-oriented policing are described that involved the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Each case focused on reducing crime and disorder where drugs were being sold. In each case, individual police officers played a pivotal role as catalysts in stimulating community and city action and in reducing crime and disorder at the problem locations. The cases suggest that, at the local level, problem-oriented policing can achieve the kind of coordinated action that may not be so easy at a broader level of community and organizational aggregation. The policing of drug sales locations is discussed, and examples are given of the range of alternatives that can be used in problem-oriented policing. 28 references, 2 notes, 1 table, and 3 figures