NCJ Number
43331
Date Published
Unknown
Length
145 pages
Annotation
HISTORY, PROJECT EVALUATION METHODOLOGY, PROJECT ANALYSIS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AN EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM OF COOPERATIVE POLICE SERVICES FOR THE CITIES OF ARNOLD, NEW KENSINGTON, AND LOWER BURRELL ARE GIVEN.
Abstract
THIS PENNSYLVANIA PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED TO REDUCE FRAGMENTATION OF CRIME INVESTIGATION AND PATROL SERVICES, TO INCREASE JUVENILE CONTACTS, TO IMPROVE RECORD HANDLING, AND TO INSTALL HIGH-INTENSITY MERCURY VAPOR STREET LIGHTS IN HIGH-CRIME AREAS. EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM WAS MADE DIFFICULT BY THE FACT THAT, BEFORE ITS INCEPTION, EACH OF THE THREE JURISDICTIONS KEPT RECORDS IN ITS OWN WAY. THE ONLY UNIFORM PREPROJECT REPORTS WERE THE UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS (UCR) SENT MONTHLY TO THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE. THEREFORE, EVALUATION WAS BASED ON UCR FIGURES FOR PART 1 CRIMES, PART 1 CRIMES CLEARED, PART 2 CRIMES, PART 2 CRIMES CLEARED, BURGLARIES, BURGLARIES CLEARED, AN APPREHENSION AND PROSECUTION INDEX, VALUE OF PROPERTY RECOVERED, REPORTED VANDALISM, AND JUVENILES FORMALLY PROCESSED. EIGHT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CHANGES OCCURRED. FOR NEW KENSINGTON, THE NUMBER OF PART 2 CRIMES CLEARED INCREASED, ROBBERIES CLEARED INCREASED, BURGLARIES REPORTED DECREASED, NUMBER OF JUVENILES FORMALLY PROCESSED INCREASED, AND CRIME IN THE DESIGNATED HIGH-CRIME AREA WENT DOWN. FOR ARNOLD, THE NUMBER OF ADULTS FOUND GUILTY INCREASED, AND FOR LOWER BURRELL, THE NUMBER OF PART 2 CRIMES DECREASED AND NUMBER OF ROBBERIES DECREASED. ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE, IN NEW KENSINGTON THE NUMBER OF PART 2 CRIMES INCREASED AND NUMBER OF ADULTS FOUND GUILTY DECREASED. IN ARNOLD, THE NUMBER OF PART 1 CRIMES INCREASED. IN LOWER BURRELL, THE NUMBER OF BURGLARIES INCREASED AND THE VALUE OF PROPERTY RECOVERED DECREASED. OVERALL, NEW KENSINGTON HAD 30.7 PERCENT POSITIVE INDICATIONS, 15.3 PERCENT NEGATIVE, AND 53.8 PERCENT UNCHANGED. ARNOLD HAD 7.6 PERCENT POSITIVE INDICATORS, 7.6 PERCENT NEGATIVE, AND THE REST UNCHANGED, WHILE IN LOWER BURRELL THERE WERE 15.3 PERCENT POSITIVE, 15.3 PERCENT NEGATIVE INDICATORS, AND THE REST UNCHANGED. THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS VERY FAVORABLE TOWARD THE PROGRAM. THE NUMBER OF SCHOOL APPEARANCES AND OTHER JUVENILE CONTACTS INCREASED FROM 291 IN 1974 TO 493 IN 1975, AND IT IS FELT THAT BY COMBINING JURISDICTIONS THE QUALITY OF THESE CONTACTS HAS IMPROVED. INVESTIGATION OF CRIMES HAS ALSO IMPROVED. CRIME HAS BEEN REDUCED IN THE AREAS OF HIGH-INTENSITY LIGHTING BUT IT IS TOO EARLY TO TELL IF THIS CRIME HAS BEEN ELIMINATED OR DISPLACED. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT RECORDKEEPING BE STANDARDIZED AFTER BEING PURGED AND BROUGHT INTO CONFORMANCE WITH PENNSYLVANIA LAWS ON CONFIDENTIALITY. IT IS ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT CASE FOLLOWUP INVESTIGATION BE FORMALIZED, CASES REVIEWED FOR ASSIGNMENT IN A MORE ORGANIZED FASHION, AND CLEARLY DEFINED CRITERIA ESTABLISHED FOR USE OF INVESTIGATION SQUAD TIME. APPENDIXES GIVE GUIDELINES FOR PURGING FILES, PREPROJECT AND POSTPROJECT CRIME FIGURES FOR EACH CITY, AND A SAMPLE OF THE BUSINESS ATTITUDE SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE.