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Boston Gun Project: Operation Cease Fire

  • In the early 1990s, in the poor inner city neighborhoods, Boston was overwhelmed with an increase in youth homicides. Crime analysis revealed that on average there were 43 youth homicides per year in Boston between 1991-1995.
  • Analysis found a strong illegal gun market providing firearms to youths and that 60% of the youth involved in the homicides were associated with gangs.
  • Response was to attack both the supply and demand of guns. "Gang members were told that drug markets would be shut down, warrants would be served, the street would swarm with law enforcement officials (this includes federal presence), bed checks would be performed on probationers, rooms would be searched by parole officers, unregistered cars would be taken away, and disorder of offenses, such as drinking in public would be pursued" (Walker & Katz).
  • Two years after the operation, youth gang homicides had decreased by 70% (Boston Police Department, 1998).

Effectiveness of POP

Newport News

  • One of the first experiments with problem-oriented policing occurred in Newport News, Virginia in the mid 1980's (Walker & Katz).
  • The project focused on recurring burglaries in a low income housing units within the city. They analyzed crime patterns in the area and conducted opinion surveys to the apartment complex residents.
  • They found that disintegrating buildings were among one of the biggest factors for the burglary problem.
  • In response to the Newport News findings, the police initiated meetings within the community and also with government agencies to improve the building conditions and surrounding area, in hopes of deterring criminals to easy access.
  • Evaluation of POP have been more positive than those of community policing.
  • San Diego Police Department is a national leader in POP and serves as the site for the annual international conference on POP.
  • Gary Hayes, Goldstein's former student, became the first director of PERF, a new professional association for police chiefs formed specifically to promote research in policing.
  • Two successful projects that are most recognized and have received the most attention:
  • Newport News
  • The Boston Gun Project: Operation Cease Fire

Problem Oriented Policing Today

SARA

How is the process done?

  • This method is widely known and is successful but it's an up and down trend, whether it is applied or used varies by department depends greatly on leadership, commitment, and resources.
  • The biggest issue is the lack of trained crime analysis to assist in research and deep analysis of problems. The POP center is also working to build a knowledge base for POP by publishing a series of guides for specific problems.
  • Annual Conference:
  • Each year, police officers and police leaders, and all the ranks in between, as well as crime researchers, come together to discuss what they've learned about trying to reduce different crime and safety problems.
  • Eck & Spelman, 1987 pointed out that POP is typically implemented through a four stage process known as SARA: scanning, analysis, response, and assessment (Walker&Katz 2013).
  • Scanning: problems are identified. These are problems that share some underlying cause. What is the problem?
  • Analysis: Questions are asked to learn everything possible about the problem. How big is the problem? Whos is involved, and how? Where is the problem, and why?
  • Scanning: During shifts, officers can look for and identify possible problems, officers can consult with residents who live or work in the officers' assigned area.
  • Analysis: Goal is to find the problems nature and cause. Focuses on three categories: Actors (victims, offenders, etc.); Incidents (setting, sequence of events, etc.); and past responses (by the community or institutions).
  • Response: Data collected in the analysis stage are used to develop a strategy to address the problem and implement a response.
  • Assessment: An evaluation of the effectiveness of the response. Measuring the successful or unsuccessful response by going back and reviewing the data.

POP Cont.

Traditional Policing: Generic Model

  • POP was first introduced by Herman Goldstein in 1979 in his article "Improving Policing: A Problem-Oriented Approach"
  • POP offers the police a method for reducing many of the issues that affect our communities such as crime, disorer, and fear.It breaks down the pieces of police business to find the reason for a certain problem.
  • This proactive approach is driven by research, information, and analysis.
  • POP is often compared to Community Policing

Pros and Cons of Problem Oriented Policing

  • Several different strategies for dealing with problems: is usually patrol, investigation of cases, etc. these are "generic responses."
  • Goldstein believes that traditional policing is very generalized and has conformed to use these strategies without thinking or researching throughly for a more appropriate response.
  • POP is driven by analysis, its goal is not only to prevent crime but to build a body of knowledge with the data that is obtained through the problem solving process to respond to these problems.

Questions for you

  • Who introduced POP?
  • What is POP?
  • What is the problem solving method called?

SARA Cont.

  • Response: Based on careful analysis, a custom made response to the problem is tired. What should be done about the problem? Who should do it, and how? Is it being done?
  • Assessment: The response is evaluated to see if the problem was solved or reduced. Did the response occur as planned? Did the problem decrease? What should be done next?

What is Problem Oriented Policing?

  • Problem-oriented policing is an approach to policing in which separate pieces of police business, each consisting of a cluster of similar incidents whether it is crime or acts of disorder that the police are usually expected to handle, which are subject to microscopic examination in hopes that what is freshly learned about each problem will lead to discovering a new and more effective strategy for dealing with it (Herman Goldstein 2001).

Herman Goldstein

  • Herman Goldstein was a law professor at the University of Wisconsin
  • His work focused on developing a form of policing that's effective.
  • His research and writing has inspired many efforts to implement and advance POP in police departments all around the world.
  • He has been a consultant to national and local groups.

References

Jennifer Arce

Contemporary Policing

Rutgers-Newark

Braga, A., Kennedy, D., Waring, E., & Morrison, A.(2001). Problem Oriented Policing, Deterrence, and Youth Violence: An Evaluation of Boston’s Operation Ceasefire. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. Vol.38 No.3 P.195-225. doi: 10.1177/0022427801038003001

Goldstein, H. (2002). Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing. Washington,DC.

Spelman, W., & Eck, J.(1987). National Institute of Justice/Research Oriented Policing: Problem Oriented Policing. Washington,DC.

Eck, J., & Spelman, W.(1987). Problem-Solving: Problem Oriented Policing in Newport News. doi=10.1.1.510.7354

Walker, S., & Katz, C. (2013). The police in America: An introduction (8th ed.). New York, NY:

McGraw-Hill.

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