PROMISE OF POLICING - EVALUATING THE PERFORMANCE, PRODUCTIVITY, AND POTENTIAL OF LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

• NCJ Number: 58079
• Journal: JOURNAL OF URBAN ANALYSIS Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: (1978) Pages: 203-221
• Author(s): W G SKOGAN
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 19 pages
• Grant Number(s): 77-NI-99-0018
• Corporate Author: The Urban Institute
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: PRESENTED AT THE WORKSHOP ON POLICY ANALYSIS IN STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, SUNY - STONYBROOK (NY), MAY 22-24, 1977

Annotation

POLICY EVALUATION OF POLICE EFFECTIVENESS INCLUDES FOUR AREAS OF INVESTIGATION: PRODUCTIVITY, POTENTIAL, PERFORMANCE, AND ALTERNATIVES.

Abstract

IMPEDIMENTS TO ANALYSES OF THIS TYPE ARE DUE TO THE FACT THAT POLICING IS A PUBLIC SERVICE AND THEREFORE HAS NO TANGIBLE PRODUCT, THE NATURE OF POLICE WORK MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO SEE THE OPERATIONS, AND VERY LITTLE DATA IS THUS AVAILABLE IN THE AREA. IT IS DIFFICULT TO JUDGE WHETHER TASKS ARE BEING PERFORMED BECAUSE POLICE DEPARTMENTS DO NOT TAKE MEASURES OF THIS SORT. VERY LITTLE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ABOUT POLICING STRATEGIES, CRIME CONTROL, OR CITIZEN SATISFACTION. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INDIVIDUAL OFFICERS AND VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS IS ALSO DIFFICULT TO MEASURE. THE TASKS OF POLICEMEN INCLUDE APPREHENSION, DETERRENCE, AND PROVISION OF EMERGENCY AND NONEMERGENCY SERVICES. HOWEVER, IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO EVALUATE THE PRODUCTIVITY OF POLICIES BECAUSE THE FUNDAMENTAL GOALS, THE DETERRENCE OF CRIME, AND THE PREVENTION OF INCIDENTS FROM OCURRING, ARE INHERENTLY UNOBSERVABLE. ALSO, BECAUSE THERE IS NO TANGIBLE END PRODUCT OF POLICING, IT IS DIFFICULT TO MEASURE WHETHER THE 'GOODS', I.E., PUBLIC SERVICES ARE BEING EFFICIENTLY DELIVERED. THE FURTIVE NATURE OF CRIME PUTS SERIOUS LIMITATIONS ON THE POTENTIAL OF POLICING; THIS MEANS THAT THE POLICE CANNOT SOLVE MANY CASES THAT COME TO THEIR ATTENTION. THUS, THE POLICE LARGELY DISPLACE CRIME, RATHER THAN DETER IT. FINALLY, CITIZENS' PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR SAFETY ARE ONLY TENUOUSLY LINKED TO WHAT THE POLICE DO. ALTERNATIVES TO POLICING INCLUDE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITY-BASED CRIME CONTROL UNITS SUCH AS STREET WATCHES, PROGRAMS TO TIGHTEN SECURITY ON BUILDINGS AND HOMES, AND RELEGATION OF PUBLIC SERVICE TASKS SUCH AS INSPECTIONS AND GUARDING SCHOOL CROSSINGS WHICH COULD EASILY BE PERFORMED BY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. ALSO PRIVATE COMPANIES COULD BE CONTRACTED TO SUPPLY SECURITY FOR BUSINESSES AND TO PERFORM THE ROUTINE TASKS OF POLICE WORK SUCH AS FINGERPRINTING, PLANNING, AND LABORATORY INVESTIGATION. THESE MEASURES WOULD THEN FREE THE POLICE TO DEVOTE THE MAJORITY OF THEIR TIME TO CONTROL OF SERIOUS CRIMES. TABLES AND CITATIONS ARE INCLUDED. (STB)