AJ – 58 Community and Human Relations Chapter 8 – Problem-Solving and Community Policing

Traditional, Reactive Response Citizen calls for help – Limited assistance from Dispatcher Patrol officer responds/investigates Handles call according to investigation – Take report/give advice – Warn/advise or arrest suspect Back on patrol, awaiting next call with no real thought about underlying problem May lead to repeat calls, recurring problem

Benefits of Problem-Solving Approach Reactive model has little impact on… – Reducing crime – Keeping order – Number of calls for service – Community problems Dealing with underlying problems proactively should have positive impact on all of the above

Police as Social Agents Police deal with social problems on a daily basis despite existence/efforts of other social agencies Societal problems closely linked to crime – Economy, poverty, unemployment – Lack of social bonding, inferior living conditions – Politics, social policies These conditions may lead to criminal acts that police have to deal with, then move on to next CP focuses on causes rather than incidents!

Problem-Solving as a Tactic Prevent Crime, Improve Conditions – Focus on specific problems, not just random distribution of resources Recognize Social Conditions that Contribute to Crime/Disorder – Analyze conditions and develop specific responses to each, not just calls for service Realize Some Problems Outside Police Control – Cooperate with other agencies to develop unified strategy

Geographical Policing Certain areas of any community seem to be “high crime areas” or “hot spots” Usually account for large percentage of calls for service – Bars, liquor stores – Neighborhoods/Apartment complexes – Parks – Gathering spots for… Gangs Teens Drug use/sales Homeless

SARA Model of Problem-Solving S can A nalyze R espond A ssess

S canning Departments examine their jurisdiction for – Specific problems – Hot spots Identified by – Calls for service/citizen complaints – Criminal activity/arrests Scanning should include assistance from Community to include their input!

A nalysis Collection of information related to specific problem, area, etc. Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? May include other contributing factors – Sales of drugs/alcohol from particular location Analysis should attempt to focus on specific problem/area without too much overlap

R esponse Focus on cause of problems rather than symptoms – Example: sales to minors May be police alone or multi-agency Police may refer problem to other agencies Must be aware of additional subsequent problems that may result from response

A ssessment Was the response effective? Did it solve the problem or just reduce or transfer it elsewhere? If outcome less than desirable, police must return to Analyze for new Response Is dislocating a problem a successful outcome? – Traditional answer = yes – Community Policing answer = no

Identifying Problems: Officer Observations and Experience Patrol officer has intimate knowledge of beat – Problem residences, neighborhoods, bars… – Able to coordinate resources DV services, Crime Prevention Units, ABC Able to identify problem individuals – PR contacts, FI’s Get to know members of community – More likely to cooperate/provide information to familiar officer

Identifying Problems: Citizen Complaints & Community Groups Departments look at aggregate of calls to determine trends Citizens concerned with problems that affect them directly or regularly – Traffic – Loitering – Panhandling Neighborhood meetings in central location – Citizens get to voice concerns – Police gather information, develop positive relations – Follow-up response is crucial! Service-Club organization meetings

Identifying Problems: Crime Mapping Technological advances – CAD & RMS – Valuable information from each call Location, Time, Nature of call Response Time Outcome of Incident Information used to “Map” crime trends – Specific time, area, location, address – Specific call-type, incident, crime

Identifying Problems: Police Reports/Calls for Service Types of police reports – Offense/crime – Incident – Arrest – Follow-Up/Supplemental Crime Analysis Unit – Analyze data from reports – Produce summaries of information Crimes, offenders, deployment plans Pin maps, daily bulletins by area/beat Modus Operandi, commonalities in day/time/location

Identifying Problems Geographic Concentration Pattern – Identify certain hot-spots by concentration of crimes over certain time period Similar Offense Patterns – Compare similarities in crime, suspect, victim, time, location, MO to identify trends Citizen Surveys – Questions regarding crime, fear of crime, attitude towards police/police services – Good prelude to a neighborhood meeting!

Police Problem-Solving Drug sales – NYPD Citizens help police find stashed drugs – Lexington, KY Police remove basketball hoops – San Diego, CA Increased-enforcement threat, rehab programs Residential Burglaries – Crime prevention safety checks

Obstacles to Problem-Solving Lack of analytical skills/training Lack of problem-solving framework in department Resistance to change Sufficient time for proper analysis Lack of Community involvement and/or cooperation Lack of support from local government Unclear answers as to what strategies work best Linear thinking for a non-linear problem Lack of information about the problem