NCJ Number
250866
Journal
Policing - An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management Volume: 39 Issue: 1 Dated: 2016 Pages: 36-51
Date Published
2016
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study evaluated a foot patrol and citizen contact-based policing intervention in Frisco, TX, a suburb of Dallas.
Abstract
Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance "Smart Policing" initiative, the intervention consisted of assigning a single bilingual officer to an economically disadvantaged apartment complex in the heart of the city. An examination of calls for service across several offense types was performed for the target complex, the adjacent neighborhood, and a nearby apartment complex. The aims of the study were to determine whether the intervention affected specific calls for service and geographic and/or temporal displacement/diffusion occurred. Two key findings emerged. First, the intervention produced several hypothesized reductions and increases in specific call types, but temporal displacement rendered those effects short-lived. Second, diffusion to surrounding areas was observed and persisted through various treatment dosages. This article notes that few recent studies have examined the efficacy of foot patrol in crime hot spots. No recent studies have evaluated citizen contact patrol within micro-places. This study sought to address both limitations. (Publisher abstract modified)