NCJ Number
208202
Journal
Crime & Delinquency Volume: 51 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2005 Pages: 53-74
Date Published
January 2005
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This study examined the consistency of police officer problem identification and problem solving.
Abstract
Proponents of community-oriented policing models claim that officers who routinely patrol the same geographic areas and build community alliances are better able to identify crime problems in their respective patrol areas. The current study extends this research literature by examining the effectiveness of police officers to identify crime problems in their patrol areas, focusing specifically on the types of problems identified and the problem-solving responses. Participants were all 200 officers of a medium-sized police department; the focus group methodology involved dividing the officers into groups of 5 to 9 officers. Officers were asked to list the problems occurring in their patrol areas, as well as strategies and tactics that could be used to respond to these problems. Results indicated a lack of consistency between focus groups working in the same districts. However, officers were able to precisely identify locations thought to be problematic within their patrol areas. The two most common crime control strategies mentioned were enhanced patrol efforts and citations. The findings call into question the reliability of officer problem identification. Future research should expand on this analysis by polling entire police forces through a survey instrument and cross-validating locations. Tables, notes, references