KANSAS CITY PREVENTIVE PATROL EXPERIMENT - A SUMMARY REPORT

• NCJ Number: 42537
• Author(s): G L KELLING; T PATE; D DIECKMAN; C E BROWN
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 66 pages
• Corporate Author: Police Foundation
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS REPORT SUMMARIZES THE RESULTS OF A YEAR-LONG STUDY TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT THAT ROUTINE POLICE PATROLS HAD ON THE INCIDENCE OF CRIME AND THE PUBLIC'S FEAR OF CRIME.

Abstract

THREE CONTROLLED LEVELS OF ROUTINE PREVENTIVE PATROL WERE USED IN THE EXPERIMENTAL AREAS OF KANSAS CITY. ONE AREA, TERMED 'REACTIVE', RECEIVED NO PREVENTIVE PATROL. POLICE ENTERED THE AREA ONLY IN RESPONSE TO CITIZEN CALLS FOR ASSISTANCE. THIS IN EFFECT SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED POLICE VISIBILITY IN THAT AREA. IN THE SECOND AREA, CALLED 'PROACTIVE', POLICE VISIBILITY WAS INCREASED TWO TO THREE TIMES ITS USUAL LEVEL. IN THE THIRD AREA, TERMED 'CONTROL', THE NORMAL LEVEL OF PATROL WAS MAINTAINED. ANALYSIS OF THE DATA GATHERED REVEALED THAT THE THREE AREAS EXPERIENCED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE LEVEL OF CRIME, CITIZENS' ATTITUDES' TOWARD POLICE SERVICES, CITIZENS' FEAR OF CRIME, POLICE RESPONSE TIME, OR CITIZENS' SATISFACTION WITH POLICE RESPONSE TIME. WORK ON DEVELOPING DEPLOYMENT STRATEGIES BASED ON SPECIFIC CRIME PREVENTION AND SERVICE GOALS RATHER THAN ROUTINE PREVENTIVE PATROL IS RECOMMENDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)