Chapter Six
Community-Oriented Policing and Problem Solving
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.7
SARAFour-stage problem-solving process1. Scanning
Behaviors Locations People Time Events Primary purpose of scanning is to conduct
a preliminary inquiry to determine if a problem does exist
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.8
SARA
2. 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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.11
SARA
Types of crime analysis1. Tactical
Provides information used to assist operations personnel
Includes associating criminal activity by method, crime, time, date, location
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.12
SARA
2. 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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.13
SARA
3. 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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.14
SARA
3. 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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.15
SARA
4. 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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.16
Basic Principles of COPPS
Both COP and POP share characteristics
1. Decentralization2. Geographically rather than
functionally defined subordinate units
3. Close interactions with local communities
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.17
Basic Principles of COPPS For COPPS to succeed, the
following measures are required1. Conducting accurate community
needs assessments2. Mobilizing all appropriate players
to collect data and brainstorm strategies
3. Determine appropriate resource allocations
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.18
Basic Principles of COPPS
4. Developing and implementing innovative, collaborative, comprehensive programs to address underlying causes and causal factors
5. Evaluating programs and modifying approaches as needed
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.25
Community Policing in Japan
Possesses the oldest and best-established community policing system in the world
Four elements at the core1. Community-based crime prevention2. Reorientation of patrol activities3. Increased accountability to the public4. Decentralization of command
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.26
Community Policing in Japan
Heavy emphasis on order maintenance and prevention
Counseling services Trained in dispute resolution Urban police visit neighborhood
households Koban
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.29
Crime Prevention Crime prevention through
environmental design (CPTED) “Proper design and effective use
of the environment”1. Natural access control2. Natural surveillance3. Territorial reinforcement
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.30
Crime Prevention
Five types of information needed1. Crime-analysis information2. Demographics3. Land use information4. Observations5. Resident information
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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
Policing America, 6th editionKenneth Peak
© 2009 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All Rights Reserved.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