NCJ Number
104564
Date Published
1988
Length
4 pages
Annotation
After a review of the history of police research after the 1970's, with particular attention to the Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment, this guide outlines requirements for successful police experimentation. A videotape accompanies the guide.
Abstract
Overall, police research findings have undermined the assumptions upon which traditional police operations have been based, notably preventive patrol and rapid police response. The Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment found that preventive patrol did not reduce crime or citizens' fear of crime, nor did it increase citizens' satisfaction with police. Another study indicated that in nonemergency situations, citizens who call for police services were as satisfied with alternative responses to their calls as they were with rapid response, if the reasons for the alternative response were explained. Other studies suggesting new alternatives for police operations have focused on one-person cars, foot patrol, domestic abuse, and criminal investigation. Successful police experiments requires collaboration between agency personnel and researchers, random selection of subjects or areas, comparison of the treatment group with a randomly selected control group, pretreatment and posttreatment data collection, and the use of evaluators who are independent of program managers. 6 references, discussion questions. See NCJ 104212 for videotape.