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Problem Oriented Policing

Problem Oriented Policing Problem-oriented policing presents an alternative approach to policing that has gained attention in recent years among many police agencies. Problem-oriented policing grew out of twenty years of research into police practices, and differs from traditional policing strategies in four significant ways. · First, problem-oriented policing enables police agencies to be more effective. Currently, police agencies commit most of their time to responding to calls for service. Problem-oriented policing offers a more effective strategy by addressing the underlying conditions that prompt calls for service. Often, many of the calls for service are related and, if grouped together, disclose a pattern of activity or behavior that presents a more accurate picture of the condition that prompted the calls in the first place. Problem-oriented policing offers police agencies a model for addressing the underlying conditions that created and cause other problems of concern to the community. · Second, problem-oriented policing recognizes the expertise that line officers have developed in their police careers, and allows them to use this expertise to study problems and develop creative solutions to those problems. Experience in departments around the country has shown that line officers are capable of contributing much more to the resolution of crime and other community problems than what we presently ask of them. Officers engaged in problem-oriented policing have expressed greater job satisfaction and exhibited a keener interest in their work. · Third, problem-oriented policing entails a greater and closer involvement by the public in police work. Communities must be consulted to ensure that police are addressing the needs and concerns of the citizens. Community involvement and support are key ingredients if police agencies hope to find long-term solutions to recurrent problems. · Fourth, problem-oriented policing recognizes that a great deal of the information needed to thoroughly understand a problem is not contained in a police agency's files. As a result, problem-solving officers are encouraged to draw on a wide range of sources of information from outside the department to analyze and address problems. The Key Elements of Problem-Oriented Policing · A problem is the basic unit of police work, rather than a crime, a case, a call, or an incident. A problem is a group of crimes, cases, calls, or incidents. · A problem is something that concerns or causes harm to citizens, not just the police. Things that concern only police officers are important, but they are not problems in this sense of the term. · Addressing problems means more than quick fixes; it means dealing with conditions that create problems. · Police officers must routinely and systematically investigate problems before trying to solve them, just as they routinely and systematically investigate crimes before making and arrest. Individual officers and the department as a whole must develop routines and systems for investigating problems. · The investigation of problems must be thorough, even thorough, even though it may not need to be complicated. This principle is as true for problem investigation as it is for criminal investigation. · Problems must be described precisely and accurately, and broken down into specific aspects of the problem. Problems often aren't what they first appear to be. · Problems must be understood in terms of the various interests at stake. Individuals and groups of people are affected in different ways by a problem and have different ideas about what should be done about the problem. Now that I’ve gotten all of the intellectual garbage out of the way, let’s get down to hard fact. Atlanta Georgia, 1989: a prime example of Problem-oriented policing. The problem was abandoned vehicles. The best way to analyze the effectiveness of this incarnation of P.O.P. is to put it through S.A.R.A. · Target Area: The Atlanta University complex, residential properties, a few small businesses, and two adjacent projects. · Computer search showed that the abandoned cars created more calls than any other crime, with the exception of drug activity. · This is a perfect example of “Broken Windows,” the longer the cars sat there, more cars appeared, creating a few problems. § The cars were a convenient place for drug dealers to hide drugs, money and guns. § They were a breeding ground for rats, roaches and other pests § They became homes and hiding places for the homeless and addicts. § They were also and eyesore, just sitting and rotting · There were two problems to be overcome before the cars could be removed from the area: § Limited Jurisdiction: the Atlanta Housing Authority owned the streets and parking lots within the area, (AHA) therefore ticketing would require an effort orchestrated by both organizations. § Vehicle owners needed adequate warning before the cars were impounded, since the cars may have been stolen, therefore a plate check was required. · In January of ’89, the AHA and the Atlanta P.D. initiated an assertive effort to alleviate the problem. § The AHA staff conducted daily checks of the area, looking for the problem vehicles. § Cars that were reported abandoned were affixed with a tag, to inform the owner of the danger of having his/her car impounded within 2-4 days, depending on the condition of the car. If the car was not moved, a tow truck was called to take the car. The officers then ran a plate check to see if the car was stolen. § Officers patrolled the streets outside the AHA area in the same manner. · In the early stages of the program, 87 abandoned cars were taken from the target area, greatly improving the area. According to the text, in the 4 months following the program, there were no citizen complaints regarding abandoned vehicles. · The officers and AHA representatives continued to use the system to prevent the problem from becoming out of hand again. Apparently this program was highly effective. This system could be improved by further cooperation between the community, the police and the AHA, such as implementing designated parking spaces for the residents. Also creating and/or increasing no-parking zones in the target area would greatly increase the effectiveness of the program. In order to extend the reach of this program, i.e. a statewide program to eliminate abandoned vehicles, the Atlanta police would have some serious difficulties. · First and foremost, manpower would be the largest concern. Officers would have to spend too large of a percentage of their time patrolling for abandoned vehicles, that it would put a serious strain on their other duties. This would require an increase of department size. · Second, is cost effectiveness. In order to hire more officers, larger precincts and more cars would be required. This in combination with a larger payroll requirement would put a serious strain on the economy in Georgia, and this would necessitate an increase in taxes, statewide. In order for the program to function statewide, it would require full cooperation with the communities. Every community would need some type of “watcher” group, which would keep the department informed of abandoned vehicles. This would keep the costs down and allow the officers to spend their time on other projects as well. Bibliography: Kelling, George L. and Wilson, James Q. (1982) “Broken Windows: The Police and Neighborhood Safety.” Published in the Atlantic Monthly. Oliver, William. (1998). Community-Oriented Policing: A Systemic Approach to Policing (Second edition 2001). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. http://www.cjcj.org. [Internet Website]. “Shattering Broken Windows.” http://npcr.org/reports/npcr1142/npcr1142.doc. [Internet Website]. “Community Oriented Policing Evaluation in the Seward Neighborhood.” By Paul Hannah http://www.ojip.usdoj.gov/nij. [Internet Website]. “Crime and Place: Plenary Papers of the 1997 Conference on Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation.”

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