NCJ Number
86220
Date Published
1982
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This paper describes a Seattle crime prevention program that targeted burglary of mostly single-family homes but which was also used successfully in a low-density housing project, and evaluation results and reasons for program success are considered.
Abstract
The Seattle Community Crime Prevention Program (CCPP) uses three prevention strategies: (1) personally identifying all valuables on a premises, (2) improving locking hardware on doors and windows, and (3) forming neighborhood block organizations. The primary goal of the CCPP was to produce a statistically significant decrease in residential burglary among participant households. A secondary goal was to show a statistically significant increase in the number of burglary-in-progress calls from targeted areas. The data sources examined to determine whether these goals were achieved were police records on reported residential burglaries, data from three victimization surveys, and police dispatch records. Results showed that participation in the CCPP significantly reduced the risk of burglary 48-61 percent. The proportion of residential burglaries reported to the police increased 50-76 percent following program activities, and the proportion of burglary-in-progress calls increased 27 percent. No evidence of burglary displacement to nonprogram households or neighborhoods was found. The success of the program can be attributed to the use of trained civilians experienced in community organization, a proactive methodology that targeted a specific community, a focus on reducing one type of crime, and a block-by-block approach to organizing small groups of citizens. Six notes and five references are listed.