NCJ Number
89029
Journal
Police Journal Volume: 56 Issue: 2 Dated: (April-June 1983) Pages: 142-163
Date Published
1983
Length
22 pages
Annotation
The police prevention and control of crowd disorders can be served by the use of alternative ways of satisfying those psychological needs fulfilled in crowd disorders and by countering factors that facilitate the initiation and spread of illegal behavior in crowds.
Abstract
Crowds (a number of persons in physical proximity to one another) are characterized by a lack of organization or rudimentary organization, a lack of continuous group identity, and by some link among participants. Some participant needs satisfied by crowd dynamics are the need for self-transcendence, the need for belonging, and the presenting of a context for establishing an identity and a reputation. Factors influencing illegal behavior in crowds are relative anonymity, a sense of power, the intensification of emotions, contagion of feelings and behavior, and the impression of universality. Types of crowd participants according to their motives include (1) those who seek to provoke illegal behavior in others, (2) those intending to engage in illegal behavior themselves, (3) those with no intention of behaving illegally, (4) those who derive satisfaction from vicarious participation in illegal behavior, and (5) those who participate out of curiosity. The control and prevention of crowd disorders can be achieved by providing alternative community activities whereby youth can develop a sense of belonging and achievement, providing closed-circuit TV coverage of the crowd to counteract anonymity, providing a dramatic show of police force to counter the crowd's feeling of power, providing diversions, and decreasing hostile emotions through the use of humor. Sixty-two references are provided.