NCJ Number
60866
Date Published
1979
Length
91 pages
Annotation
EVALUATION OF THE CONSOLIDATED RILEY COUNTY, KANS., POLICE DEPARTMENT INDICATES DECREASED CRIME AND TRAFFIC FATALITIES BUT ALSO LOWER CRIME CLEARANCE RATES THAN THOSE OCCURRING IN COMPARABLE COUNTIES.
Abstract
THE EVALUATION IS BASED ON ACTUAL POLICE OPERATIONS, CRIME RATES, AND OTHER STATISTICS, AND A SURVEY REFLECTING CITIZENS' PERCEPTIONS OF POLICE WORK. EFFECTIVENESS WAS JUDGED IN THREE AREAS: DEPARTMENTAL EFFECTIVENESS, PERSONNEL ISSUES, AND COST COMPARISONS. RESULTS SHOWED A LOWER CRIME RATE, 316.6 CRIMES PER 10,000 POPULATION, THAN IN OTHER KANSAS AREAS IN SIZE BUT HAVING 456.4 CRIMES PER 10,000 PERSONS. THE DEPARTMENT WAS PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE IN SOLVING CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS. CITIZENS' PERCEPTIONS OF POLICE WORK WERE GENERALLY POSITIVE, AND, ALTHOUGH THEY PERCEIVED THAT MORE CRIME OCCURRED THAT WAS ACTUALLY THE CASE, THEY ACCURATELY REFLECTED THE INCIDENCE OF CRIME IN THEIR OWN NEIGHBORHOODS. CITIZENS THOUGHT POLICE CRIME PREVENTION WORK WAS 'GOOD TO EXCELLENT' AND YOUTH SERVICES WERE SATISFACTORY. PERSONNEL RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MADE BECAUSE OF POLICE DISSATISFACTION WITH SALARY AND TRAINING. POLICE TURNOVER AND POLICE LEVEL OF EDUCATION WERE ALSO CONCERNS. COST COMPARISON FOR THE DEPARTMENT SHOWED THAT LESS WAS SPENT PER CAPITA THAN IN OTHER POLICE DEPARTMENTS. HOWEVER, A PROBLEM THAT NEEDS ADDRESSING, AT THE CORE OF CONSOLIDATION EFFORTS, IS ASSESSMENT OF PARTICIPATORY JURISDICTIONS, FOR RESOURCE ALLOCATION. A NEW FINANCING FORMULA IS RECOMMENDED. THE APPENDIX INCLUDES THE POLICE AND CITIZEN SURVEY DATA. (RFC)