Preventive Patrol Notes Crim 2/25

Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment

  • Focus of the study: Evaluating the effectiveness of police patrol on crime rates and citizen satisfaction.

  • Types of surveys utilized:

    • Mini NCVS: Aimed at gathering reporting rates on campus surveys.

    • Encounter Surveys: Engagement methods that differ from full-time, problem-oriented policing.

Data Collection Methods

  • Multiple sources of data were analyzed:

    • Officer questionnaires

    • Observational data from officers in the field

    • Interviews with officers and observers

    • Analysis of various data types:

      • Crime data

      • Traffic data

      • Arrest data

      • Computer dispatch data

      • Officer activity analysis data

      • Personnel data

Key Findings

  • Lack of Impact on Crime: The study concluded that there was no significant effect on crimes that were believed to be deterred by police presence.

  • Citizen Satisfaction: Satisfaction with police services was also found to be unaffected.

Limitations of the Study

  • Mobile policing and citizen mobility made it difficult to gauge police presence effectively:

    • Citizens do not stay within fixed zones; they move between areas and may not notice fluctuations in police presence.

    • Officers are also mobile and transition through various districts which may obscure the overall impact of patrol strategies.

  • The study was prematurely halted due to inadequate staffing on proactive beats:

    • Insufficient officers assigned to patrol led to personnel being pulled from desk jobs and retraining efforts.

Understanding Response Time

  • Definition of Response Time:

    • Only 13% of involvement crimes are reported while occurring; a small percentage leads to a 35% chance of on-scene arrests.

  • Importance of Timeliness in Reporting:

    • Response rates drop significantly based on the time elapsed before a report is made:

      • 14% of calls within the first minute lead to an 18% chance of arrest;

      • Drops to 10% if reported after one minute.

Factors Affecting Crime Reporting

  • Potential reasons for delayed reporting include:

    • Fear of being overheard

    • Involvement in illegal activities

    • Trauma-induced irrationality

  • Surprisingly, victims often do not call the police first when involved in crimes:

    • Victims are more likely to contact family or friends before involving police, reflecting a decision-making process dictated by emotional and situational factors.