1. Community-Oriented Policing and Problem Solving
Chapter Six
Community-Oriented Policing
and Problem Solving

2. Basic Principles of Community Policing
Redefined role
Public must be engaged in the fight against crime and disorder
Peel emphasized this in the 1820s
In the early 1980s, COP emerged as the dominant model
Working partnership with community

3. Basic Principles of Community Policing
Long-term process that involves fundamental institutional change
Role from crime fighter to problem solver
Decentralized organizational structure and changes in recruiting, training, evaluations, promotions
Break away from incident-driven policing

4. Basic Principles of Community Policing
Police station houses are being changed in terms of design and amenities
Was seen as unfriendly places
Some jurisdictions now have police stations with ATMs, kitchen-equipped meeting rooms for public use and more areas open to the public

5. Major Step Forward: Problem-Oriented Policing
Problem solving is not new
Routine application of problem-solving techniques are new
Problem solving can be applied by officers throughout the agency
Routine problem-solving efforts can be effective in reducing or resolving problems

6. Basic Principles of Community Policing
Problem-orienting policing (POP) was grounded on different principles than COP, but they are complimentary
POP advocates that police examine underlying causes of recurring crime
Herman Goldstein is the principal architect of POP

7. SARA Four-stage problem-solving process Scanning Behaviors Locations
People
Time
Events
Primary purpose of scanning is to conduct a preliminary inquiry to determine if a problem does exist

8. SARA Analysis The heart of the problem-solving process
Learn as much as possible about the problem to identify causes
Identifying seriousness of the problem
Knowing all the individuals involved and affected
Listing all the causes of the problem
Assessing current responses and their effectiveness

9. SARA Several methods developed for analyzing Problem-analysis triangle
The use of crime-mapping and offense reports
The analysis of CFS
The use of community surveys

10. SARA Some factors known to affect volume and type of crime
Population density
Variations in composition of population
Stability of population
Modes of transportation
Climate
Citizens’ attitudes toward crime

11. SARA Types of crime analysis Tactical
Provides information used to assist operations personnel
Includes associating criminal activity by method, crime, time, date, location

12. SARA
Strategic
Concerned with long-range problems and projections of long-term increases or decreases in crime
Also includes the preparation of crime statistical summaries, resource acquisition, and allocation studies

13. SARA
Administrative
Focuses on provision of economic, geographic, or social information to administration
Problem solvers should review their findings about the three sides of the crime triangle – victims, offenders, and locations

14. SARA Response The ultimate challenge in POP
The search for the most effective way of dealing with the problem
Focuses on developing and implementing responses to problem

15. SARA Assessment Officers evaluate the effectiveness of their responses
Reduced instances of repeat victimization
Decreases in related crime or incidents
Neighborhood indicators
Reduced citizen fear related to the problem

16. Basic Principles of COPPS
Both COP and POP share characteristics
Decentralization
Geographically rather than functionally defined subordinate units
Close interactions with local communities

17. Basic Principles of COPPS
For COPPS to succeed, the following measures are required
Conducting accurate community needs assessments
Mobilizing all appropriate players to collect data and brainstorm strategies
Determine appropriate resource allocations

18. Basic Principles of COPPS
Developing and implementing innovative, collaborative, comprehensive programs to address underlying causes and causal factors
Evaluating programs and modifying approaches as needed

19. Implementation of COPPS
Strongly argued that a departmentwide of COPPS be used
No golden rule or any universal methods to ensure the successful adoption
The role of the rank-and-file officer
The role of the environment where COPPS is implemented

20. Implementation of COPPS
Leadership and Administration
Communicate to all department members the vital role of COPPS
Provide incentives to engage in COPPS
Reduce the barriers to COPPS that can occur
Show officers how to address problems

21. Implementation of COPPS
Human Resources
Middle managers and first-line supervisors play a crucial role
First-line supervisors and senior patrol officers seem to generate the greatest resistance to COPPS

22. Implementation of COPPS
Field Operations
Recruiting, selection, training, performance evaluation, promotion, honors and awards, discipline
Recruiting literature should reflect the principles of COPPS
Integrated into academy training

23. Implementation of COPPS
External Relations
Collaborative responses to neighborhood crime and disorder are essential to the success of COPPS
New relationships and sharing of information between the police and the community

24. Implementation of COPPS
Media provides means to educate the community about COPPS
Political support
Broader role of the street officer
“Thinking” officers
Do more than handle calls
Design effective ways of responding

25. Community Policing in Japan
Possesses the oldest and best-established community policing system in the world
Four elements at the core
Community-based crime prevention
Reorientation of patrol activities
Increased accountability to the public
Decentralization of command

26. Community Policing in Japan
Heavy emphasis on order maintenance and prevention
Counseling services
Trained in dispute resolution
Urban police visit neighborhood households
Koban

27. Evaluating COPPS No clear verdict until rigorous evaluations
Evaluation not the same as the SARA process
Outcome measures might include:
Control of crime
Citizen satisfaction with police services
Decreased fear of crime

28. Crime Prevention
Better to prevent a crime rather than trying to solve a crime
“Lock it or lose it”
Giving advice to citizens about door locks
At its heart, COPPS is about preventing crime

29. Crime Prevention Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED)
“Proper design and effective use of the environment”
Natural access control
Natural surveillance
Territorial reinforcement

30. Crime Prevention Five types of information needed
Crime-analysis information
Demographics
Land use information
Observations
Resident information

31. Crime Prevention Repeat Victimization (RV)
Greater attention given to offenders than to crime victims
If police want to know where a crime will occur next, they should look at where it happened last
One in three burglaries is a repeat burglary of a household

32. Crime Prevention
A small number of victims accounts for a disproportionate number of victimizations
Drug Abuse Resistance and Education
DARE program
Program needs new direction