NCJ Number
93583
Date Published
1983
Length
43 pages
Annotation
An empirical analysis of data from 60 urban neighborhoods indicates that some forms of active or aggressive patrol may deter certain types of criminal activity.
Abstract
The impact of an aggressive police patrol strategy on street crime was evaluated. Data on 60 residential neighborhoods in the metropolitan areas of Rochester, N. Y.; St. Louis, Mo.; and Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla, were used. The four distinct forms of officer-initiated activities were officer-initiated suspicion stops; officer-initiated investigatory activities such as warrantless searches, crime scene inspections, and questioning potential witnesses beyond the immediate scene; the rate of residential security checks; and the rate at which proactive order maintenance interventions occur. The effects of these police behaviors on the victimization rates were estimated for robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft, theft of goods from automobiles, and vandalism. It was hypothesized that the relationship between patrol aggressiveness and victimization is direct and does not operate indirectly through changes in the arrest rate. The basic finding was that the level of suspicion stops was the most effective type of aggressive patrol; it had the most consistent, significant effect on crime. Vandalism was the crime most sensitive to several forms of proactivity. Three of the four activities have had some negative effect on the victimization rate. The density of police patrol consistently showed a positive relationship with the level of victimization. This is attributable to the reciprocity in the model. Figures, tables, and about 50 references are supplied.