Term Paper on "Problem Oriented Policing"

Term Paper 7 pages (2104 words) Sources: 7

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Violence Prevention Plan

Problem Oriented Policing

Commissioner Ed Davis

Violence prevention plan

Violence prevention plan

Sir, on for your kind consideration I have done a research on the intervention strategies adopted by different cities adopted in the same situation that is prevalent in our area. I have come to conclusion that there is a need to adopt pulling levers strategy that includes problem-oriented policing methodology along with local community collaboration strategy to address this issue. Bellow is the detailed description of this strategy and the reasons for which I am recommending this strategy:

During the 20th century, police practice evolved from one of political corruption and incompetence to one of law enforcement and crime control. "The period from 1895-1920 was (one) of fragmented department that completely failed to control crime, were totally unwilling to clamp down on vice (because they started in its proceeds), and were hopelessly out of control" (Sparrow, Moore, & Kennedy, pp.33-36). In the decades following this era, police departments were removed from the control of politicians. This change was considered radical at the time and was due, in large part, to the efforts of those who pushed for professional, reformed model of policing. Reformed policing was characterized by preventive patrol, rapid response which was incident driven and reactive, professionalism reinforced by specialized police procedures and advanced forensic technology and independence from political pressure.

Although this reform movement created needed improvements, it also had consequences. Crime control became the number one focus of police departments and the primary function of officers. According to Sparrow (1990), this shift in importance narrowed the discussion on other policing functions in three significant ways. The first was the manner in which police define crime. Almost all major departments focused its energies and defined its success on controlling or solving crimes listed in Part 1 of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Uniform Crime Reports (UCR). These crimes included "murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny, arson, and auto theft" (p.41). This approach "devalues crimes that are of enormous significance to the well-being of neighborhoods and communities: drug dealing, prostitution, vandalism, panhandling, public drinking, even traffic, parking, and litter violations" (p.41).

The second way police functions were narrowed concerned arrest, the main means of crime control. Arrest provides immediate deterrence of individual criminals and automatic referral to the next levels of the criminal justice system. These researchers contend that by being reactive-focusing on individual only after crimes have been committed, opportunities for crime prevention were missed.

The third narrowing concern was the means by which officers fight crime and make arrests. Preventive patrol in squads, rapid response and retrospective investigation achieved the purpose of making police more "accountable, efficient and under control" (Sparrow, Moore, & Kennedy, p.43). At the same time, through this mode of operating, it was difficult to make connections to the community and neighborhoods through foot patrol which fostered familiarity with residents and informers.

There are number of reasons stated by Sparrow (1990) and his colleagues for the need to move beyond the reform movement of policing. They cite the rise in crime and low clearance rates in the latter part of the century in their contention that the police were not effective in controlling crime. "Pursued with the best will and greatest expertise in the world, patrol, rapid response, and retrospective investigation do not do the job expected of them" (p.5).

Based on his extensive research in police functions and processes, Herman Goldstein published his seminal work, Problem-Oriented Policing in 1990. It called for a fundamental shift in the way police officers function. Goldstein's book builds on his original article (1979) that explained his theory. Goldstein's problem-oriented policing proposed a new way of doing business for police officers who routinely worked by reactively responding to calls for service. He described problem-oriented policing as "a comprehensive substantive problem shapes the police agency, influencing all changes in personnel, organization, and procedures" (Goldstein, p.32). During the course of patrolling the same areas, police officers were sometimes called for recurrent complaints and/or offenses. Goldstein proposed responding in a way that involved identifying the persistent problem, examining its causes, and developing new and effective ways to deal with the problem so that it ceases to be recurrent (Goldstein, 236-258, Scott, 2000). This approach "focuses directly on the substance of policing-on the problems that constitute the business of the police and one how they handle them" (Goldstein, p.32).

Under Goldstein's (1979) theory, a problem included a number of similar incidents, community concerns regarding the incidents, and the relationships to police business. For example, several armed robberies at fast food establishments in the same areas of a city present a concern for citizens' safety. Problem-oriented policing takes steps beyond a reactive response to examine characteristics of the robberies and ask: What is the behavior of the perpetrators? Do they operate alone, in pairs or groups? Do they wear distinguishing clothing, tattoos, hairstyles, etc. Persons involved, victims and perpetrators, would be studied also: Are the victims elderly or younger? Male or female?; Able-bodies or vulnerable in some way?; Are the perpetrators distinguishable by age, gender or ethnicity?; Is the offense committed at a consistent time of day or day of the week?. The information obtained from this investigation is used to analyze the problem and develop a response.

Goldstein's theory of problem-oriented policing as an effective means of controlling crime has been proven by research. In evaluating the Boston crime reduction Braga and his colleagues (2001) found that "using a basic iterative approach of problem identification, analysis, response, problem-oriented policing has been effective against a wide variety of crime, fear and order concerns" (p.196) In addition, Mazerrolle, Soole and Rombouts (115-153), in their review of drug law enforcement evaluation literature, found problem-oriented policing to be an effective intervention.

Studies of various crime reduction operations have shown the effectiveness of problem-oriented policing methodology. An evaluation of Operation Ceasefire in Boston suggested "problem-oriented partnerships that focus on identifying and targeting individual and groups who have a high risk of involvement in violence can be effective in reducing homicide" (MacDonald, p.3). Rubin et al. (2008) reached a similar conclusion from their evaluation of Project Exile. Importantly, these programs appear to be effective because they involve intervention strategies guided by a thorough assessment of the characteristics of local homicides." Sparrow (1990) strongly argued for a thorough understanding of local contexts when attempting to assess the problem, design interventions, and operationalize violence reduction plans, because youth and other social services will vary by area, as will the "epidemiology" of violence. They suggest that any application of such model should be built on "rich, in-depth knowledge…to customize the application of the ecological model to the local conditions and culture" (Williams, p.52). McDevitt (13) went further and noted:

"The analysis of homicide files provides a first step for assessing violence in a community and developing a data-driven intervention. Engaging criminal justice officials and community members to construct violence-reduction strategies is the next step in the process. Once mutually agreeable strategies have been adopted outcome evaluations can be designed that assess their effectiveness at reducing homicide in each targeted area and identify any potential elements for modification or improvement." (McDevitt, p.13).

Gun violence has claimed the lives of more individuals in the Geneva than in any other crimes. Researchers have stated that "while gun violence is highly concentrated. Our rates of gun violence are so high that even people who are at relatively low risk are 'at risks' by international standards." There have many efforts to change these startling statists. Multiple prevention and intervention programs can be placed to address perceived causes of crim. individually, each program worked toward addressing issues to alleviate the problem. Without these programs, it is likely that ht crime rate would be much higher. Sadly, the crime rate in urban area continues to rise and social programs continue to compete for funding. One innovative prevention / intervention model, the pulling levers strategy, may prove to be successful in reducing violent crime in Geneva.

The pulling levers strategy utilizes a collaborative, problem-oriented policing approach to confronting a crime problem. It is a deterrence strategy that was first used in Boston, Massachusetts, to combat youth violence and homicide in the mid 1990s. David Kennedy, one of the proponents and researcher of the effectiveness of pulling levers, described it as a strategy that "deploys enforcement, services, the moral voice of communities, and deliberate communication in order to create a powerful deterrent to particular behavior by particular offender" (p.156) Offenders were told if they continue their current life of crime, every possible lever will be pulled by law enforcement and the district attorney's office to arrest, prosecute and imprison them.

After the crime issue has been targeted, the problem-oriented policing/pulling levers process includes:

1. Assessing a work group of interagency law enforcement: when violent crime is targeted, this group has included local police and sheriff's departments, state and federal law enforcement agencies, and local prosecutors.

2. Researching the identity of major offenders and their… READ MORE

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