NCJ Number
100426
Date Published
1984
Length
24 pages
Annotation
A survey conducted by the Crime Prevention Unit of the Portland, Oreg., Police Bureau indicated that a brochure dealing with basic home security was as effective in helping citizens improve security as more time-consuming security surveys personally conducted by police officers.
Abstract
In 1982, the East Precinct Crime Prevention Unit sent letters to 634 citizens explaining that limited staff had prevented it from responding to requests for security surveys. Five brochures on basic home security -- locks, securing doors and windows, proper lighting, neighborhood watch, and calling the police -- accompanied the letters. A year later, 275 individuals were randomly selected for a followup telephone survey to determine if they had read the brochure and consequently made any security improvements. The results showed that 69 percent had read the brochure. Of this group, 68 percent said they had, as a result, improved their home's security. These percentages agree closely with previous studies of security survey compliance rates. The most frequently cited methods of home security improvement were installing locks, pinning/securing windows, and screening or barring windows. The brochures and the survey questionnaire are appended.