Crime Analysis in America: Findings and Recommendations

• NCJ Number: 200250
• Author(s): Timothy C. O'Shea Ph.D.; Keith Nicholls Ph.D.
• Date Published: April 2003
• Length: 30 pages
• Contract Number(s): 99-CK-WX-K002
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services; Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Based on a recent study that examined key aspects of crime analysis in U.S. police departments, this report identifies the current limitations of crime analysis and underlying policies and informs police managers about the structural issues that should be addressed when considering a crime analysis function.

Abstract

The project consisted of two national surveys and site visits. Researchers first surveyed all American law enforcement agencies with 100 or more sworn personnel. Nearly 65 percent of the 859 agencies responded to the survey. Researchers then surveyed a random stratified sample of 800 law enforcement agencies with fewer than 100 sworn officers. The second phase of the project obtained information from telephone interviews with 40 crime analysts and from site visits to 9 crime analysis units. In nearly every responding department, crime analysts were being directed to focus narrowly on the apprehension of offenders or possibly on the identification of high-crime areas. Crime control, narrowly defined as the identification and apprehension of offenders, dominated the demand for crime analysis. Such an approach to crime analysis fails to reflect the philosophy and tenets of community policing. Community policing requires that crime analysis identify the underlying causes of chronic crime problems, developing responses that are linked to this analysis and assessing the effectiveness of those responses. This type of analysis aims to do more than apprehend offenders or identify high-crime neighborhoods. It examines the causes of problems and ideally offers potential solutions. The ultimate goal of such crime analysis is to go beyond crime control and deliver a broad range of services that improve the community's general quality of life. Problem analysis examines the nature of community problems and combines traditional crime analysis with more complex social science research methods. In assisting police managers to move their agencies toward such crime analysis, this report discusses organizational dynamics, the management of human resources, and the characteristics of agency operations. 23 references