NCJ Number
155078
Journal
American Journal of Police Volume: 13 Issue: 3 Dated: (1994) Pages: 119-148
Date Published
1994
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the efforts of the police department of Lawrence, Mass., a medium-sized, densely populated northeastern city, to assess systematically the implementation and initial impact of problem-oriented policing.
Abstract
The analysis used pre-implementation and post- implementation and comparison group survey data on citizen attitudes, as well as descriptive accounts of the strategies used. The police department initiated community policing and problem-oriented policing strategies focusing on targeted implementation in pilot neighborhoods in 1989. Study data were gathered in 1991 and 1992. Results provide some general, although not conclusive, support for the hypothesis that the interventions had a positive impact in the target neighborhoods on two of the main conditions community policing is intended to change: perceptions of fear and disorder. However, contrary to expectations, citizen attitudes toward police did not improve in the target neighborhood significantly in comparison to the rest of the city. The police department has completed only the initial steps toward changing the nature of policing in the city. With the departure of the former police chief, whose leadership was an important factor in the initial implementation, it is not clear whether sufficient departmental and citizen enthusiasm and agency resources exist to continue and expand community policing in the city. Tables, notes, and 34 references