NCJ Number
53413
Date Published
1978
Length
12 pages
Annotation
ACHIEVEMENTS THAT THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM CAN REALISTICALLY ATTAIN IN REDUCING ARMED ROBBERIES ARE EXAMINED, AND RESEARCH AND OPERATIONAL PLANNING RELEVANT TO ARMED ROBBERIES IN AUSTRALIA ARE REVIEWED.
Abstract
RESEARCHERS, POLICE ADMINISTRATORS, ARCHITECTS, AND PROTECTIVE SECURITY EXPERTS ARE RESTRAINED BY COST CONSIDERATIONS IN THE ACHIEVEMENT OF GOALS. DIFFICULTIES INHERENT IN MINIMIZING THE INCIDENCE OF ARMED ROBBERIES ARE EXACERBATED BY THE COMPLICATED STRUCTURE OF CITIES AND BY DEMANDS CREATED BY CRIME WAVES. ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT POLICE RESEARCH PROJECTS WAS THE PREVENTIVE PATROL EXPERIMENT IN KANSAS CITY, MO. THE EXPERIMENT CALLED INTO QUESTION ONE OF THE BASIC ASSUMPTIONS OF POLICING, THAT VISIBLE POLICE PRESENCE IS THE BEST CRIME DETERRENT. IT INVOLVED VARIATIONS IN THE LEVEL OF ROUTINE PREVENTIVE PATROL IN 15 CITY PATROL BEATS. THESE BEATS WERE DIVIDED RANDOMLY INTO THREE GROUPS. IN FIVE REACTIVE BEATS, ROUTINE PREVENTIVE PATROL WAS ELIMINATED, AND OFFICERS WERE INSTRUCTED TO RESPOND ONLY TO CALLS FOR SERVICE. IN FIVE CONTROL BEATS, ROUTINE PREVENTIVE PATROL WAS MAINTAINED AT ITS USUAL LEVEL OF ONE CAR PER BEAT. IN THE REMAINING FIVE PROACTIVE BEATS, ROUTINE PREVENTIVE PATROL WAS INTENSIFIED OVER ITS USUAL LEVEL THROUGH THE ASSIGNMENT OF ADDITIONAL PATROL CARS AND THROUGH THE FREQUENT PRESENCE OF CARS FROM REACTIVE BEATS. THE THREE PATROL CONDITIONS DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT CRIME, SERVICE DELIVERY, OR CITIZEN FEELINGS ABOUT SECURITY. ANOTHER STUDY IN THE UNITED STATES REVEALED THAT POLICE RESPONSE TIME WAS NOT A SIGNIFICANT PREDICTOR OF ENCOUNTER OUTCOMES, PUBLIC SATISFACTION WITH RESPONSE TIME AND RESPONDING POLICE OFFICERS, OR PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD POLICE IN GENERAL. FURTHER STUDY IN KANSAS CITY DEMONSTRATED THAT THE USE OF A CRIMINAL INFORMATION CENTER TO DISSEMINATE INTELLIGENCE AND INFORMATION WAS SUPERIOR TO AN OFFENDER-ORIENTED STRATEGY. AN EXPERIMENT WAS UNDERTAKEN IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, THAT CONSIDERED PATROL-PREVENTABLE OFFENSES, INCLUDING ROBBERY, ASSAULT AND VIOLENCE, SEXUAL OFFENSES, AUTOMOBILE THEFT, ARSON, AND LOITERING AND MALICIOUS DAMAGE. THE FIELD PART OF THE EXPERIMENT INVOLVED TESTING A VARIETY OF PATROL STRATEGIES. OTHER PROJECTS INITIATED IN AUSTRALIA ARE CONCERNED WITH OFFENSE ANALYSIS, OFFENDER ANALYSIS, OCCUPATIONAL ROLES, THE POLICE ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM, REACTION TIME DETERMINANTS, MANPOWER PLANNING, HELICOPTER PATROLS, AND INTELLIGENCE AND COLLATOR SYSTEMS. REFERENCES ARE CITED. (DEP)