NCJ Number
150663
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 40 Issue: 3 Dated: special issue (July 1994) Pages: 384-410
Date Published
1994
Length
27 pages
Annotation
In 1990, the New York City Police Department committed itself to implementing community policing throughout the city and selected the 72nd precinct in Brooklyn to test a comprehensive police model with full staffing and resources.
Abstract
Goals of establishing the model precinct were to develop a precinct organizational structure that would facilitate the transition from traditional to community policing, develop an operational system that would promote problem-solving policing, develop information systems to support community policing, develop a comprehensive community policing model, and conduct training for all precinct personnel in the concepts and practices of community and problem-solving policing. An evaluation was conducted to assess the model precinct's effects on police officer attitudes and behavior. Police officers in the 72nd precinct were observed and interviewed during 1992. Interviews were also conducted with officials involved in planning and implementing the model precinct to determine how it was designed and what planners expected to achieve. The model precinct generally functioned well. In particular, efforts of the Special Operations Unit (SOU) to become familiar with residents and merchants, to identify resident concerns and problems, and to resolve those problems were impressive. Mechanisms developed to facilitate the problem- solving process, such as team meetings, were also effective. On the other hand, efforts to integrate patrol officers in problem-solving had limited success, largely because no effective reductions were made in the number of service calls handled by patrol officers. Differences in goals, methods, and working conditions led to an "us versus them" strain between patrol and SOU officers. 6 references
Date Published: January 1, 1994