PROBLEM SOLVING POLICING

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PROBLEM SOLVING POLICING

• PROBLEM ORIENTED POLICING

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SOURCES

• Problem Solving Problem Oriented Policing in
  Newport News by John E. Eck and William Spelman,
  et al
• Social Problems by Jack O. Balswick and J.
  Kenneth Morland, Baker Book House 1990
• All your Crime Scene Classes

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Traditional Incident Driven policing

• Incident Driven Policing has four characteristics
• 1. REACTIVE POLICING first wait for the event
  to happen, then address the issues
• 2. LIMITED INFORMATION BASE in order to solve
  the problem (crime), information is gathered from
  victims, witnesses and other informed citizens

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3. RESOLUTION

• -Accomplished via the Criminal Justice System
  the officer has no authority to punish the wrong
  doer or gain restitution for the victims. This
  is all performed by the courts, probation, DOC
  and parole branches of the CJS.

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4. Aggregate Statistics

• Aggregate Statistics determine effectiveness
  everything is compared against past performances,
  ex
• No. Crimes Perps Idd No. Apprh
• Last year by quarter
• 30 9 5
• 25 6 2
• 18 6 7
• 10 7 8
• Ave 20.75 7 5.5
• This year first two quarters
• 16 8 6
• 20 10 4
• Ave 18 9 5

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• SEE THE CONFUSION?

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Incident Oriented Policing does little to deter
crime!

• Traditional policing requires waiting for the
  event to occur, then interview victims and
  witnesses, and arrest the perp if things work the
  way they should.
• Perp bonds out of jail, and goes right back to
  the crime of choice while awaiting trial
• Where is the deterrence?

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• Traditional Incident Oriented (Driven) Policing
  only addresses the symptoms of the crime, not the
  causes.
• Youll arrest the same person many times for DUI,
  DUI per SE, Driving under Revocation as a
  Habitual Traffic Offender, Driving Under
  Revocation as a Habitual Drunk Driver.

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• The issue we attend is the DUI, plus what ever
  other charges may apply because of the conditions
  and circumstances of the arrest, ie. personal
  injury, property damage or fatal accident.
• The issue that begs for attention is the chronic
  alcoholism, but as Level 1 peace officers we
  cannot address the cause, only the aftermath!

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• Does anyone else have or appreciate the sense of
  frustration this type of policing creates?

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• As the arresting officer, can you ask for a
  restraining order against possession or
  consumption of alcoholic beverages?
• Can you ask for inpatient alcohol rehabilitation?
• Can you develop a source of funds to help cover
  these programs?

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PROBLEM ORIENTED POLICING
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• First described in 1979 by Herman Goldstein
• Theory behind POP
• Underlying conditions create problems
• These conditions include the people involved,
  social settings in which the people interact, the
  physical environment and the way the public at
  large react to the conditions

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• The problems may generate one or more incidents.
• The incidents, while stemming from a common
  source may appear different.
• Example drug abuse or addiction may be the
  driving force behind thefts, robberies,
  burglaries and assaults

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• Apartment Complexes that are visibly deteriorated
  may generate burglaries, assaults, drug deals,
  vandalism or intimidation by rowdy gangs.
• In either scenario, the problems will persist as
  long as the conditions which create the problem
  are ignored.

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Social Problem Structure
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Social Problem Defined

• any situation in which the members of a group
  (community) consider to be undesirable and which
  they think should be remedied by cooperative
  action.
• social
  Problems

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• 1 The group its self. What part of the community
  does this group represent?
• 2. The values of the group which serve as a basis
  for determining or identifying solve problems and
  issues
• 3. Conduct or behavior within the group or
  community which is undesirable

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• 4. Agreement among all members of the group or
  community that the situation, behavior, etc is
  undesirable and therefore a problem. If the
  group as a whole cannot agree that a problem
  exist, then the situation is not identified as a
  problem.

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• 5 Groups response to eliminate the problem.
• This is a version of SARA

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IMPLEMENTATION

• Must be supported from the top down, with the
  fear of failure (mistakes) removed
• Study the process completely, get buy in from all
  involved entities
• Takes a long time, slow to implement, fewest
  mistakes, hard to maintain momentum or support
  from the community

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• Gain a basic understanding of Problem Oriented
  Policing, while educating the public about the
  program, then go for it!
• Faster implementation, more mistakes, more
  restarts
• Get experience on the job, modify and adapt the
  program to your particular agency
• Need more tolerance from the city council,
  commissioner and media

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• JUST DO IT!
• Most mistakes, most false starts, confusion and
  need for tolerance from the public and the media
• Having top down buy in, with a few officers from
  each shift totally immersed in the program to
  lead the way can be beneficial

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Designing Problem Oriented Policing

• Officers of all ranks and from all units should
  use the system as part of their daily routine
• The system must use a broad base of information,
  including but not limited to conventional police
  data

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• The system should encourage a broad range of
  solutions, including but not limited to the
  criminal justice system
• The system should require no additional resources
  or special units
• Police agencies of any size should be able to use
  the system

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Problem Oriented Agencies

• 1. Focus on problems of concern to the public
• 2. Zero in on effectiveness as the primary
  concern
• 3. Are proactive

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• 4. Are committed to systematic inquiry as the
  first step in solving substantive problems
• 5. Encourage use of rigorous methods in making
  inquiries
• 6. Make full use of the data in the police files
  and the experience of police personnel

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• 7. Group like incidents together so that they can
  be addressed as a common problem
• 8. Avoid using overly broad labels in grouping
  incidents so separate problems can be identified
• 9. Encourage a broad and uninhibited search for
  solutions

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• 10. Acknowledge the limitations of the criminal
  justice system as a response to problems
• 11. Identify multiple interest in any one problem
  and weigh them when analyzing the value of
  different responses
• 12. Be committed to taking some risk in
  responding to problems

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Five Ways to Solve Problems

• The effectiveness of the type of solution depends
  on the characteristics of the problems
• 1. Solve the problem by totally eliminating it
• Heroin sales in Louisiana- non existent

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• 2. Solve the problem by reducing the number of
  incidents it creates
• Reduce the number if vehicle accidents by
  installing speed bumps or STOP signs to prevent
  speed from building up

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• 3. Solve the problem by reducing the seriousness
  of the incidents it creates.
• 4. Solve the problem by designing better methods
  for handling the incidents it creates
• 5. Solve the problem by removing it from police
  consideration

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• First implemented in the Newport News PD, a
  moderate sized (280 employees) agency serving a
  population of about 155,000. Newport News has
  the problems of a major metropolitan city.

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Creation of SARA

• A four stage problem solving process
• SCANNING
• ANALYSIS
• RESPONSE
• ASSESSMENT

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SCANNING

• Using a variety of sources, officers and others
  determine whether or not an issues is really a
  problem
• The issues looked at often can be persistent
  rumors, or already resolved and do not require
  further attention

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ANALYSIS

• This is where the issues and problems are
  dissected and completely dismantled to understand
  all there is to know about the problem or issue
• What makes a target a target?
• Who are the bad actors and how do they operate?
• What makes an opportunity an opportunity?

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Scanning Stage Objectives

• Looking for possible problems
• Making a preliminary identification of possible
  problems
• Conducting a preliminary analysis to determine if
  a real problem exists and whether further
  analysis is needed
• Setting priorities among problems and assigning
  responsibilities for conducting further analysis

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Sources of information

• Patrol officers and staff
• Investigations
• Internal Affairs
• Crime Prevention Efforts
• Vice

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• Communications and Dispatch Call Center
• Chief or Sheriffs Office
• Other Law enforcement Agencies
• Local Governmental Agencies

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• Schools
• Community Leaders
• Business Groups
• Neighborhood watch

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• Newspapers and other local and regional News
  Media Sources
• Community Surveys
• Common Issues from multiple sources are worth
  looking into

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ANALYSIS

• The analysis component requires a total
  understanding of the issues. A complete
  dissection of all aspects of the incidents is
  undertaken in this step

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Problem Analysis Guide

• ACTORS
• VICTIMS their life style, the security measures
  they have in place, their history of being
  victimized
• Where do they live, work, and recreate, how do
  they move between these areas
• How much do you really know about the victim? Is
  the victim an alcohol or drug abuser, or are
  family members?
• What is their expectation of the investigation?

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• OFFENDERS
• Identify by name, and have a physical description
  of them
• Life style, education, work history where do and
  did they work, what they do there
• Criminal history what is their crime of choice

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• Have they been violent in the past
• Are they escalading toward violence
• Have their vices changed recently
• Are they now doing crimes with stiffer penalties
  are willing to get caught?

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• Third Parties
• Witnesses, relatives, who ever what is their
  personal data, connection to the victims or
  offenders
• What is their expectation of the investigation,
  of the law enforcement officers in general.

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• INCIDENTS
• Sequence of events preceding the criminal act
• The criminal act its self where did it occur,
  how did it happen, how long did it take to
  complete, who was involved
• What happened after the crime

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• How did the event take place
• What was the target of the event, a person or
  property
• Events preceding the event what was going on
  with all the players in or affected by the act
  what was going on socially, or environmentally in
  the immediate affected area

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• Do the clues at the scene offer a possible motive
  burglary for drug money, kids taking stereos,
  vcrs, tvs, dvds etc. for their own entertainment
• Revenge or intimidation?
• Types of tools used to attack the structures,
  people, or affect the un-noticed withdrawal from
  the area

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• PHYSICAL CONTEXT of the event
• Time of day, day of the week, week of the month -
  important or not
• Where did it happen, what if anything is special
  or unique about that location, especially in
  relation the to crime which was committed there
• Access control and surveillance of the immediate
  scene, the area in general

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• SOCIAL CONTEXT
• Likelihood of witnesses coming forward and their
  probable behavior or actions
• Apparent attitude of residents toward the
  neighborhood or area where the crime occurred
• How cooperative is the victim in the neighborhood
  setting, removed from the neighborhood setting

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• IMMEDIATE RESULTS OF THE EVENT
• Harm or loss done to the victim
• Gain realized by the offender
• Influence on the witnesses
• Legal issues

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• RESPONSES
• COMMUNITY - how does the event affect the
  neighborhood where the crime occurred, the city
  as a whole, the population beyond the community
  where the crime occurred
• What is the communitys expectation of the law
  enforcement communitys ability to successfully
  conclude the event.

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• INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES
• Criminal Justice System
• Other public agencies
• Mass media, what kind of coverage will the local
  and/or regional and/or national media give this
  type of event, how long will it be a news worthy
  item, how much coverage will it get

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• SERIOUSNESS OF THE EVENT
• The publics perception often shaped by the
  media
• Perception of others local industry,
  surrounding municipalities

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RESPONSES

• COMMUNITY RESPONSES
• Neighborhood affected by the event perception
  and attitude of the event
• Actions taken by the neighborhood to address the
  issues
• Political clout to address the issues

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• GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS
• Civic or service oriented
• Religious entities, individually or collectively
• Clubs (4-H) classic cars clubs
• Neighborhood Watch Programs

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• COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE
• Perceptions and attitudes as a community
• What action is taken community wide

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• OPINIONS BEYOND THE IMMEDIATE COMMUNITY
• Investors, job seekers
• Commuters
• Tourist
• Business owners

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INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES

• Law Enforcement attitudes and perceptions, case
  and work loads, belief in their own
  effectiveness, resources available
• Prosecution - priorities and procedures

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• Courts treatment of the actors (victims, bad
  guys, witnesses)
• Detention facilities jail space available, work
  release, booking and intake areas, budgets

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Criminal Justice System

• The Criminal Justice System was to be taken as a
  biological organism
• If the prosecutors are unwilling to take a class
  of crimes forward to trial, or the courts are
  reluctant to pass adequate judgment on the
  offenders, or the detentions facilities treat the
  offender as a minor nuisance, will the officers
  view the crime or problem as an issue worthy of
  their efforts and time ?

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• Legislature and Policy Making Bodies attitude
  and knowledge of the problem and the issues,
  willingness to deal effectively with the issues,
  influence of and on voters
• Preventive Programs child care, fire, health,
  building zoning requirements

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• MASS MEDIA effects of news coverage, how
  covered, how presented, bias toward or against
  victims, thugs, witnesses willingness to
  cooperate with the local law enforcement efforts
• Schools prevention programs, attitude toward
  truancy, vandalism

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• Business Community Insurance, housing issues
  and industry, organizations, political clout
• Medical Community response toward people
  involved, willingness to cooperate with other
  involved entities

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• OTHER SOCIAL SERVICES public housing, mental
  health, welfare, fire department, planning and
  zoning, code enforcement, revenue

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• The response must satisfy those most affected by
  the events and issues
• The frequency and/or severity of the event must
  also be positively affected by the response
• Crime must be reduced, and the public satisfied
  with the law enforcement efforts

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ASSESSMENT

• Feedback to the law enforcement agencies on the
  effectiveness of the responses in place
• Were problems accurately identified
• Was the analysis accurate and complete
• Was the response proper and timely
• How satisfied are all the players with the results

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• Need to actively and continuously solicit feed
  back from every source
• Process must remain dynamic to respond to the
  changes in the community and the issues or events
  observed

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• The agency, officers and process must appear
  credible, ethical, educated, articulate and
  professional at all times.
• If the above is not in place, getting accurate
  and timely feedback will be an issue

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• The success or failure of a program is often
  dependent on the publics perspective of the
  people involved
• Even a blind hog finds an occasional acorn in
  the forest.
• 
  Forrest Frazee
• Kiowa
  County Sheriff
  
  

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Class Exercise

• Last time you were to bring examples of crime or
  criminal actions for the class to dissect
• Well start in the back row!