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An Assessment of the Preparedness of Private Security in Shopping Malls to Prevent and Respond to Terrorist Attack (January 2006) Robert C. Davis, Christopher Ortiz, Robert Rowe, Joseph Broz, George Rigakos, Pam Collins This assessment indicates what malls are doing in the areas of risk assessments, preventive measures, emergency preparedness plans, training, and coordination with state and local government. The comprehensive picture that emerges of the state of security in large retail malls suggests that (a) there are significant gaps in preparedness, (b) there are relatively inexpensive steps that can be taken to fill those gaps, and (c) state homeland security officials and local police as well as mall owners and have a role to play in filling those gaps.
by James J. Willis, Stephen D. Mastrofski, David Weisburd, Rosann Greenspan
Compstat in Practice: An In-Depth Analysis of Three Cities (96 pages/ 705 kb) This report explores the relationship between the theory and practice of Compstat in three police departments of different size, organizational structure, and crime environment. It shows how police managers and officers adapted their routine tasks and activities to Compstat’s focus on accountability, innovative problem solving, and crime fighting. The challenges they faced in doing so reflected the culture of the individual department, the availability of resources for personnel, the sophistication of technology, and management’s commitment to the program. The distinct experiences of the three departments—Lowell, MA; Minneapolis, MN; and Newark, NJ—reveal Compstat’s complexities, highlight its contributions, and provide some insights into the direction it is leading U.S. policing. Growth of Compstat in American Policing (211 KB) This research-in-brief describes the national survey that assessed the number of U.S. police agencies using Compstat and measured the degree to which the elements of Compstat were part of their routine and structure. This is the second report in a series of three that resulted from the larger, NIJ-funded project, Compstat and Organizational Change: Findings from a National Survey. Drugs and Crime Across America: Police Chiefs Speak Out (2004). (20 pages/231KB) Drug Strategies and the Police Foundation commissioned Peter D. Hart Research Associates to survey the experience of more than 300 police chiefs across the U.S. who are on the “front lines” in dealing with drugs. This poll builds on a similar survey conducted in 1996 and provides important perspectives on how police chiefs’ attitudes toward drug enforcement have changed in the intervening eight years. Drugs and Crime Across America: Police Chiefs Speak Out (1996). (146 KB) presents the results of a Peter D. Hart Research Associates survey of more than 300 police chiefs across the nation who are on the "front lines" in dealing with drug abuse and drug crime. This was a joint project of the Police Foundation and Drug Strategies. Guns in America: Results of a Comprehensive National Survey on Firearms Ownership and Use. (94 pages/9.4 MB) by Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig (1997) This report presents new evidence from a comprehensive national survey on guns in America, the National Survey of Private Owner-ship of Firearms (NSPOF). The NSPOF focuses on four central issues: (1) the size, composition, and ownership of America's gun stock; (2) how and why firearms are acquired; (3) gun storage and carrying; and (4) the defensive use of firearms against criminal attackers. Also included are attitudes toward gun-control regulation. IDEAS
IN AMERICAN POLICING
Policing
in America: Assessment and Prospects (40KB)
David Bayley, former dean of the School of Criminal Justice at the State University of New York at Albany, addresses three questions: (1) what is distinctive about American policing? (2) what are the major changes that have occurred in American policing over the last 30 years? and (3) what are the factors currently shaping American policing? Evidence-Based
Policing (87KB)
Lawrence Sherman, former professor and chair of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland at College Park, examines how the new paradigm of "evidence-based medicine" holds important implications for policing. It suggests that just doing research is not enough and that proactive efforts are required to push accumulated research evidence into practice through national and community guidelines. National pressure to adopt this paradigm could come from agency-ranking studies, but police agency capacity to adopt it will require new data systems creating "medical charts" for crime victims, annual audits of crime reporting systems, and in-house "evidence cops". Policing
For People (57KB)
Stephen Mastrofski, former professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University, identifies six characteristics that Americans associate with good service from their police: attentiveness, reliability, responsiveness, competence, manners, and fairness. He assesses how police are doing at "policing for people" and offers a reform agenda that promotes its practice. On
Democratic Policing (43KB)
From Aristotle to William Bratton, the fundamental principles of democratic policing are explored in this monograph by Jerome Skolnick. Emeritus Professor of Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Policy, UC-Berkeley, and Co-Director, Center for Research in Crime and Justice, NYU Law School, Skolnick examines police strategies and practices that challenge the delicate balance of maintaining public safety without sacrificing basic freedoms. Policing
Anonymity (108KB)
Donald Foster is a professor of English at Vassar College. In his "other life" as an attributional expert, Professor Foster works with law enforcement agencies and the media to determine authorship of disputed documents, including forgeries, threats, ransom notes, and anonymous tips. He is best known for identifying Joe Klein as the author of the best-selling anonymous novel, Primary Colors, and for identifying Shakespeare as the writer of a previously unattributed funeral poem. In Policing Anonymity, Professor Foster discusses the kinds of problems posed by anonymous writings in criminal investigations, and how best to address those problems from the crime scene to the courtroom. Police Departments as Learning Laboratories (140 KB) Police agencies are often unable to state with any degree of precision how their performance has changed over time or how it compares with their peers. In the sixth monograph in the Police Foundation’s Ideas in American Policing series, Edward Maguire, Associate Professor in the Administration of Justice program at George Mason University, proposes how police agencies can make greater use of information and measurement to enhance their capacity for organizational learning and assessment. Please click here for the Portuguese version: Departamentos de Polícia como Laboratórios de Aprendizagem (122 KB) Social
Theory and the Street Cop: The Case of Deadly Force (116KB) David Klinger is Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a former Los Angeles and Redmond (WA) police officer. In this monograph, he explores the dynamics of police-citizen encounters, and examines how social scientific theory can influence police officers’ use of deadly force as well as the public’s understanding of the social reality of deadly force in our society. Law Enforcement for Lawabiders (117KB) Why do people comply with the law? Professor Tracey Meares of Yale University explores the power of private social control in controlling and reducing crime. By employing strategies that enhance legitimacy and accountability, police can be catalysts for promoting lawabiding behavior, particularly in crime-plagued communities. Place-Based Policing (439 KB) The core practices of policing assume that people, whether victims or offenders, are the key units of police work, but police in recent years have also begun to think about the situations and places that are the context of crime. In this essay, Professor David Weisburd argues that police should put places rather than people at the center of police practices. Place-based policing, Weisburd explains, is more efficient as a focus of police actions; provides a more stable target for police activities; has a stronger evidence base; and raises fewer ethical and legal problems. He suggests practical ways in which places can become a key component of the databases that police use, of the geographic organization of police activities, of the strategic approaches that police employ to combat crime and disorder, and in the definitions of the role of the police in urban settings. Police Pursuits After Scott v Harris: Far from Ideal? (260 KB) Immigration Resources (120KB)
Data and information about the criminal environment and criminal activity abound: the challenge is to corral this wealth of data into knowledge that can enhance decision making, improve strategies to combat crime, and increase crime prevention benefits. In other words, the aim is to convert data and information into actionable intelligence. This report is designed to identify the key challenges limiting criminal intelligence sharing, the aims of the integrated analysis model, and the way that all police departments, big or small, can work individually and collectively towards the new intelligence-led policing paradigm of modern policing. The
Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment (Summary Report)
(336 KB) This landmark experiment found that traditional routine patrol in marked police cars does not appear to affect the level of crime, nor does it affect the public’s feeling of security, thus refuting a tradition that had prevailed in policing for almost 150 years. The experiment demonstrated that urban police departments can successfully test patrol deployment strategies and that they can manipulate patrol resources without jeopardizing public safety.
Prisoner reentry-the process of individuals leaving prison and jail and returning to the community-is a topic of increasing concern to law enforcement agencies across the country. With more than 650,000 prisoners returning to society each year, prisoner reentry poses many challenges to the communities involved, including an increased risk to public safety and a limited availability of jobs, housing, and social services for the returning prisoners. Mapping can provide valuable information on how prisoner reentry is affecting local communities, and the extent to which existing resources and services are addressing the needs of reentering populations. The purpose of this guidebook is to explore ways in which mapping can aid police responses to prisoner reentry. This guidebook raises and answers a series of questions designed to walk the reader through the logic of why and how police can take an active role in prisoner reentry efforts and how mapping can aid in those efforts. It describes the reasons behind, and strategies for, engaging in data-sharing partnerships with corrections agencies, followed by a description of useful maps that can be produced. Special attention is paid to describing the various obstacles both to forging reentry partnerships and to mapping reentry data and how those obstacles can be surmounted. The guidebook closes with a discussion of how police agencies, in partnership with corrections, service providers, and community representatives, can use maps to influence changes in policies, practices, and procedures to better enhance public safety by reducing recidivism among released prisoners and apprehending those who do recidivate swiftly and efficiently. A Multijurisdictional Assessment of Traffic Enforcement and Data Collection in Kansas (1.21 MB) Though the practice of racial profiling is common knowledge, attempts to prove its existence have relied mainly on anecdotal accounts and piecemeal, though suggestive, evidence. The campaign for systematic data collection on traffic stops gained momentum in 1999, following allegations that New Jersey state police engaged in a pattern of discriminatory traffic enforcement. Since that time, jurisdictions across the country have begun to examine their own enforcement practices. The State of Kansas commissioned this study to collect information on the nature, character, and demographics of police enforcement practices. POLICE
FOUNDATION REPORTS An Assessment of the Preparedness of Private Security in Shopping Malls to Prevent and Respond to Terrorist Attack (183 KB) (January 2006) (available online only) This assessment indicates what malls are doing in the areas of risk assessments, preventive measures, emergency preparedness plans, training, and coordination with state and local government. The comprehensive picture that emerges of the state of security in large retail malls suggests that (a) there are significant gaps in preparedness, (b) there are relatively inexpensive steps that can be taken to fill those gaps, and (c) state homeland security officials and local police as well as mall owners and have a role to play in filling those gaps Catching
Career Criminals: The Washington, DC, Repeat Offender Project (ROP)
(232 KB) (1986) Two facts have been central to the debate on controlling street crime. First, a relatively small number of career criminals commit a disproportionate amount of crime. Second, prisons are overcrowded. The combination of these two factors has spurred interest in focusing police resources on catching the most active and dangerous chronic offenders. This is the report of the Police Foundation’s evaluation of the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department’s project to apprehend career criminals. The
Growth of Compstat in American Policing: A Police Foundation Report
(211 KB) (available online only) (April 2004) Minneapolis
Domestic Violence Experiment (266 KB) (1984) Officer
Behavior in Police-Citizen Encounters: A Descriptive Model and Implications
for Less-than-Lethal Alternatives (286 KB) (September 1996) Prelude
to Project Safe Neighborhoods: The Richmond, Virginia, Experience A
Police Foundation Report (192KB)
(January 2004) Richmond, Virginia’s successful gun violence reduction program, Project Exile, became a building block for Project Safe Neighborhoods, the massive federal initiative for combating gun violence in the U.S. With support from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, the Police Foundation held a series of symposiums across the country that were facilitated by the architects of Project Exile to inform practitioners about factors that were critical to that program’s success. Preventing Repeat Incidents of Family Violence: A Randomized Field Test of a Second Responder Program in Redlands, California (191 KB) (December 2007) by Robert C. Davis, David Weisburd, and Edwin E. Hamilton
The
Quality of Police Arrest Statistics (275KB) (August 1984) Reconciling Higher Educational Standards and Minority Recruitment: The New York City Model. (251 KB) (September 1992) This is a report of the findings of a study of New York City's innovative Police Cadet Corps. The study found that police departments could improve levels of education and simultaneously increase minority representation. Richmond’s Second Responders: Partnering with Police Against Domestic Violence (266KB) (available online only) (March 2005) Domestic violence is a significant social problem in the U.S., where over 22 percent of women have suffered an attack by an intimate partner. Over the last two decades, scholars and practitioners have looked into ways to reduce the incidence of domestic violence. One of the strategies being explored employs a broader approach that is both multidisciplinary and multi-agency. This report examines the Richmond, Virginia, Second Responder program in which police summon social service caseworkers to the scene of domestic violence incidents to provide assistance and information to victims. Spouse Abuse Research Raises New Questions About Police Response to Domestic Violence. (194KB) (October 1992) This study, one of several replications of the Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment, examined the relationship between arrest of spouse abuse suspects and their subsequent recidivism. Deterrence seemed to be largely limited to employed suspects. Women
on the Move? A Report on the Status of Women in Policing (414KB)
(May 1989) by Susan E. Martin. PROBLEM
ANALYSIS IN POLICING
(621KB) (March
2003)
Reducing Fear of Crime in Houston and Newark (420 KB) RESEARCH BRIEFS : Two-page summaries of selected Police Foundation research projects.
The Role of Local Police: Striking a Balance Between Immigration Enforcement and Civil Liberties CRIME MAPPING NEWS, a quarterly newsletter for GIS, crime mapping, and policing. Volume 7, Issue 4 (1.77 MB)
Advanced Problem Analysis, Crime Analysis, and Crime Mapping Training Curriculum This project was supported by Cooperative Agreement #2002-CK-WX-0303 by the US Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Generally, this training is designed for individuals who are already experienced with basic problem solving, crime analysis, and crime mapping techniques. The purpose of this training is to expose participants to the application of criminological theory and research methods in a policing environment, intermediate and advanced spatial analysis techniques, collection and analysis of different types of data sources, evaluation of responses to crime problems, tips on improving presentations, products, and writing skills, and problem analysis case studies.
The training is designed for a person with experience in problem solving, problem analysis, crime analysis, and crime mapping to use to instruct practitioners and students in these areas. It is not a tutorial for practitioners; however, analysts may find the concepts and techniques as they are presented in the curriculum helpful.
Crime Analysis and Crime Mapping Information Clearinghouse 2006 (8th Edition) (203 KB) This clearinghouse provides a comprehensive list of bibliographic and Internet resources that may be useful to practitioners and researchers interested in the disciplines of problem analysis, crime analysis, and crime mapping. The bibliographic references are composed of books, articles, and reports that relate to topics such as crime analysis, problem solving, geographic information systems (GIS), crime mapping, and Internet mapping. The Internet resources provided at the end of the document include links to additional sources of information concerning crime analysis and crime mapping. This edition contains over 130 new bibliographic references, which indicates the increase in research and practice in this emerging field of crime analysis, GIS, and crime mapping. Finally, there is a new resource category entitled “Journey to Crime” that has been added to the clearinghouse. Crime Analysis and Mapping Product Templates The crime analysis and mapping product templates have been designed to serve as models for law enforcement analysts who wish to prepare standardized crime analysis reports, bulletins, and maps. The Police Foundation’s Crime Mapping Laboratory has collected over 100 examples of crime analysis reports (annual, monthly, weekly, and daily reports of crime and calls for service), memos, crime trend bulletins, and maps submitted by 20 law enforcement agencies across the United States. The products we received range from simple, one-page bulletins or maps to more detailed problem-solving reports that include multiple tables, charts, and maps. After collecting these examples from the field, we categorized and analyzed them to look for commonalities in format, content, relevance, and overall effectiveness in conveying information in a concise manner. With this knowledge, we have created 11 product templates that can be adapted for use by any law enforcement agency. Crime Analyst Selection Tool Training Presentation Exercises Part of the Advanced Problem Analysis, Crime Analysis, and Crime Mapping Training Curriculum, these two PowerPoint presentations have been incorporated into the Crime Analyst Selection Tool, developed by the Police Foundation and published by the COPS Office. As a service to the law enforcement community, the Crime Mapping Laboratory is dedicated to providing technical assistance via telephone, fax, e-mail, and personal contacts with individuals engaged in crime analysis and crime mapping. Based on these contacts, we have compiled a list of five frequently asked questions and answers to reach a wider audience than those reached by our technical assistance contacts. The answer to each question includes links to other crime analysis and mapping resources, such as publications and Web pages that provide useful and comprehensive information about that particular topic. Guidelines to Implement and Evaluate Crime Analysis and Mapping in Law Enforcement (328KB) This document is meant to serve as a guide for the processes of implementing and evaluating crime analysis and mapping for law enforcement agencies that do not currently have the function in place as well as those that are looking to reevaluate and restructure their current crime analysis and mapping functions. It provides a general outline for (1) developing a needs assessment, (2) creating an action plan based on the assessment, and (3) conducting an evaluation of crime analysis and mapping. This report is not meant to be a step-by-step guide for these three processes but instead offers suggestions and guidance on what and how to collect relevant information, while citing practical examples. Data and information about the criminal environment and criminal activity abound: the challenge is to corral this wealth of data into knowledge that can enhance decision making, improve strategies to combat crime, and increase crime prevention benefits. In other words, the aim is to convert data and information into actionable intelligence. This report is designed to identify the key challenges limiting criminal intelligence sharing, the aims of the integrated analysis model, and the way that all police departments, big or small, can work individually and collectively towards the new intelligence-led policing paradigm of modern policing. Integrating Community Policing and Computer Mapping: Assessing Issues and Needs Among COPS Office Grantees (160KB) This report discusses the results of a telephone survey of 51 law enforcement agencies that have received funding from the COPS Office. This survey was conducted by the Crime Mapping Laboratory to determine the agencies’ development as users of computer mapping and to facilitate the successful implementation of the technology. Although the findings of the survey are not generalizable to all agencies, they are suggestive and provide valuable insight into the issues and problems that some law enforcement agencies face as they integrate crime mapping into their operations. Introductory Guide to Crime Analysis and Mapping (2.44MB) This introductory guide was developed from the curriculum for the "Introduction to Crime Analysis Mapping and Problem Solving" training course conducted by members of the Police Foundation's Crime Mapping Laboratory in 2001 and funded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). The purpose of this document is to convert the information presented in the training into a succinct and readable report that makes it available to a larger audience than was reached through the training sessions. It is not intended to be a comprehensive document on crime analysis, crime mapping, and problem solving, but rather a "starter" guidebook for someone just entering the field or a reference manual for current crime analysts or other law enforcement analysts. The format of the document follows the format of the training slides loosely, but it is not necessary to read them together. Manual of Crime Analysis Map Production (883KB) Through discussion and comprehensive examples, this manual provides guidelines for introductory-level crime analysis mapping for use in a law enforcement environment. To produce accurate and effective crime maps, there are three initial factors to consider: (1) the purpose of the map, (2) the audience of the map, and (3) the types of data to include in the map. These considerations often dictate the type of map that will be used and the method of presentation. This manual begins with a brief examination of these initial factors, follows with a discussion of the types of maps and design elements, and concludes with five comprehensive examples that illustrate the process of crime analysis mapping.
Prisoner reentry-the process of individuals leaving prison and jail and returning to the community-is a topic of increasing concern to law enforcement agencies across the country. With more than 650,000 prisoners returning to society each year, prisoner reentry poses many challenges to the communities involved, including an increased risk to public safety and a limited availability of jobs, housing, and social services for the returning prisoners. Mapping can provide valuable information on how prisoner reentry is affecting local communities, and the extent to which existing resources and services are addressing the needs of reentering populations. The purpose of this guidebook is to explore ways in which mapping can aid police responses to prisoner reentry. This guidebook raises and answers a series of questions designed to walk the reader through the logic of why and how police can take an active role in prisoner reentry efforts and how mapping can aid in those efforts. It describes the reasons behind, and strategies for, engaging in data-sharing partnerships with corrections agencies, followed by a description of useful maps that can be produced. Special attention is paid to describing the various obstacles both to forging reentry partnerships and to mapping reentry data and how those obstacles can be surmounted. The guidebook closes with a discussion of how police agencies, in partnership with corrections, service providers, and community representatives, can use maps to influence changes in policies, practices, and procedures to better enhance public safety by reducing recidivism among released prisoners and apprehending those who do recidivate swiftly and efficiently. User Guide to Mapping Software for Police Agencies (8th edition) (17.7 MB) This report provides an overview of a wide range of mapping software and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), focusing on their functionality and the features that may be of use to law enforcement analysts. Products reviewed in this report encompass a wide range of categories or subject areas, and perform a variety of functions, including: 1) data acquisition and data management, 2) geocoding, 3) crime mapping and analysis, 4) Internet mapping, 5) redistricting, 6) emergency management, 7) routing software, and 8) others, including products from each of the following specialized areas: audio-visual mapping, cartography, data mining, drawing/design, GIS applications development, geospatial imaging, geographic incident tracking/mapping, intelligence analysis, investigative analysis, resource allocation, records management, spatial data analysis, and spatial information systems. The review includes information related to: manufacturer, relevant area of application, contact information, the GIS and operating platforms necessary for the product, and a brief product description.
For more information, contact Mary Malina at (202) 833-1460, or email: mmalina@policefoundation.org. |
Integrated Intelligence and Crime Analysis: Enhanced Information Management for Law Enforcement Leaders
Mapping for Community-Based Prisoner Reentry Efforts: A Guidebook for Law Enforcement Agencies and Their Partners
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