unit 2 seminar the compstat model : discuss the major principals of the compstat model. how does it...

Unit 2 Seminar

The COMPSTAT Model :Discuss the major principals of the COMPSTAT Model. How does it work? Also discuss the major principles of Broken Windows theory? Do these two philosophies/programs have any similarities, differences?

Crime Control in America: What Works?, 2nd ed. Worral

© 2008 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All Rights Reserved.2

Introduction

Traditional policing Amounts to throwing money at the crime problem Is unimaginative

Traditional policing strategies include Hiring cops Freeing up resources Random, preventive patrol Rapid response Residency requirements College degrees for cops




The Theory of Traditional Policing

Traditional policing prizes deterrence theory Some people cannot necessarily be

deterred




Does Hiring More Cops Reduce Crime?

Common sense tells us that hiring more cops will reduce crime

The problem? The police presence is spread thin Apprehension of additional criminals

may actually give the impression that crime is on the rise!




Reasons Why Hiring More Cops May Not Reduce Crime

There are several reasons why hiring more cops may not reduce crime Police officers can’t work around the clock

Shift work, sick leave, vacations, transferring suspects, and paperwork reduce the police presence

Some cities have fewer police per citizen than others but less crime

Police are not necessarily capable of deterring certain types of crime (e.g., crimes committed behind closed doors and out of view)




Lessons From Kansas City

The famous Kansas City experiment divided the city into 3 separate areas: Proactive beats (with a stepped-up police

presence) Reactive beats (police only responded to

calls for service) Control beats (business as usual)

Findings No significant reductions in proactive beat People didn’t even notice!




The Post-Kansas City Intellectual Debate

The Kansas City experiment prompted many researchers to explore the relationship between police levels and crime

The findings ??????




The Violent Crime Control Act of 1994

$ Billions to local law enforcement “COPS Office” created 100,000 new cops

Has the Act made a difference? One recent study concludes it has

Authors claimed that increases in hiring reduce violent and property crimes




What Happens When the Police go on Strike?

Several researchers have explored what happens to crime when the police go on strike

Findings? Increase in crime during Helsinki, Finland police strike Increase in crime during Montreal police strike Both studies dealt with strikes far in the past Today police are often prohibited by law from striking

Who cares? The police strike-crime relationship offers evidence

that additional hiring won’t be counterproductive and that police are essential




Does it Work?

Hiring more cops is not counterproductive Recent studies show more cops = less crime Police strike literature tells us the police

perform a valuable function We cannot conclude with 100%

certainty that hiring more cops reduces crime, but it certainly helps




Freeing Up Resources

If hiring is not possible, then “cutting the fat” and freeing up police resources may help

Methods of freeing up resources include Eliminating two officer patrols and replacing

them with one officer patrols Implementing 311 systems Carefully examining (and possibly changing)

what officers do while on the clock




One Versus Two Officer Patrols

Studies on one versus two officer patrols have concluded that Patrol staffing mode has almost no effect on

police effectiveness Single-officer staffing increases visibility,

but has almost no effect on crime Two officer patrols are (big surprise) twice

as costly as one officer patrols Patrol activity levels are comparable

between both staffing methods




311

311 alternative to 911 Why would 311 affect crime?

Frees up time Does 311 work?

There’s almost no research available on 311 Available research shows

311 may reduce overall calls to 911 311 does not reduce officer response time 311 does not free up uncommitted blocks of time




Patrol Downtime Studies

Some studies show that as much as 60 percent of police officers’ time on duty is uncommitted (they are dated, however)

Does it work? Who knows….




Does it Work?

The evidence in favor of one versus two officer patrols, 311, and reducing patrol downtime is not encouraging




Reactive Policing

Reactive policing is not very effective

How do we know? Comparisons of crime rates and

arrest rate Not much of a link between crime rate

and arrest rate




Rapid Response

Many people feel that getting cops to the scene of a crime faster will reduce crime

What does the research show? No clear relationship between

response time and probability of arrest

Few crimes are “hot”




Random Patrol

Can police officers deter crime by randomly driving around? Probably not

Why? Kansas City Experiment




Does it Work?

Reactive and random policing is not effective




Private Policing

Private police outnumber public police 3 to 1 Store detectives Security guards

Why private police? Privatization Mass private property Public police ineffective

Does it work? Probably suffers the same fate of other

policing methods already discussed




Residency Requirements

Arguments in favor of residency requirements Lower unemployment Add to local tax base Improved officer attentiveness to problems Improved relationships

Arguments against residency requirements Restricted applicant pool Threatens officer safety

What does the research show? There is none No one has looked at the effect of residency

requirements on crime




College Degrees for Cops

Advantages Broader base for decision-making

Arguments against Restricted applicant pool Education does not improve crime fighting abilities

What does the research show? Don’t know if crime is affected May affect decisions to use force




Proactive Arrests

Compare proactive arrests with reactive arrests

Reactive waits until call for service Proactive consists of police-initiated arrests

Not based on possibility of crime being committed

Proactive arrest focus is on criminals and crime Directed patrol is concerned with areas (e.g., hot

spots)




Targeting Drug Offenders

Crackdown Police flood an area known for problems and seek to

remove the criminal element It is the “weeding” in “weed and seed”

What does the research show? It is not 100% supportive of the strategy May (1) not address root causes, (2) push crime into

surrounding areas, (3) only fix the problem temporarily, (4) increase risks to those on drugs, and (5) increase fear in the neighborhood




Directed Patrol What is directed patrol?

Patrol with direction! Concentrating police presence in areas where it is needed

most Some terminology that comes up when discussing

directed patrol Hot spots Hot times Crime peaks Saturation patrols Focused patrol Crime mapping




Broken Windows Wilson and Kelling put forth the broken

windows thesis in 1982 What did they argue?

If low levels of disorder and deviance are not prioritized, more serious crime will likely follow

The policy implication? Aggressive enforcement of low-level offenses

Does it work? Probably, but there isn’t much research




Police-Corrections Partnerships

What are police-corrections partnerships? Partnership between either probation

or parole officers and police officers Does it work?

Evidence inconclusive




Multijurisdictional Drug Task Forces

Law enforcement agencies often join together to combat the drug problem

Example California’s CAMP program

Do multijurisdictional drug task forces work? We don’t know




Compstat

What is Compstat? New style of management aimed at

promoting accountability in police departments

Relies on computer analysis, frequent “progress” meetings, and accountability for supervisors

Does it work? Remains to be seen

unit 2 seminar the compstat model : discuss the major principals of the compstat model. how does it...

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