Routine activities and proactive police activity: a macro-scale analysis of police searches in London and New York City

This paper explored how city-level changes in routine activities were associated with changes in frequencies of police searches using six years of police records from the London Metropolitan Police Service and the New York City Police Department. Routine activities were operationalised through selecting events that potentially impacted on (a) the street population, (b) the frequency of crime or (c) the level of police activity. OLS regression results indicated that routine activity variables (e.g. day of the week, periods of high demand for police service) can explain a large proportion of the variance in search frequency throughout the year. A complex set of results emerged, revealing cross-national dissimilarities and the differential impact of certain activities (e.g. public holidays). Importantly, temporal frequencies in searches are not reducible to associations between searches and recorded street crime, nor changes in on-street population. Based on the routine activity approach, a theoretical police-action model is proposed

Hot spots policing effects on crime

In recent years, crime scholars and practitioners have pointed to the potential benefits of focusing crime prevention efforts on crime places. A number of studies suggest that there is significant clustering of crime in small places, or “hot spots,” that generate half of all criminal events. A number of researchers have argued that many crime problems can be reduced more efficiently if police officers focused their attention to these deviant places. The appeal of focusing limited resources on a small number of high-activity crime places is straightforward. If we can prevent crime at these hot spots, then we might be able to reduce total crime. Objectives: To assess the effects of focused police crime prevention interventions at crime hot spots. The review also examined whether focused police actions at specific locations result in crime displacement (i.e., crime moving around the corner) or diffusion (i.e., crime reduction in surrounding areas) of crime control benefits

Citizen perceptions of body-worn cameras: A randomized controlled trial

Body-worn cameras (BWCs) have become a central topic of policing reforms within the past few years. In the wake of recent high-profile use-of-force cases, many police departments accelerated their plans to implement BWCs. Conservative estimates suggest up to one-third of police departments in the U.S. are using BWCs, with that count increasing rapidly. The rapid adoption of BWCs has outpaced research into the impact that this technology has had on policing. Most studies of BWCs to date focus on two main outcomes, namely officer use of force and citizen complaints against officers. Research points towards significant declines in both of these outcomes due to BWC implementation. However, the impact of BWCs is believed to go beyond officer use of force and citizen complaints. For instance, police officials often note that there is overall public approval of BWCs, and that implementing a BWC program can help increase perceptions of police legitimacy. However, this rationale had not been rigorously tested until the current study, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to assess changes in citizen perceptions due to BWC use. This work examines the impact that a BWC program has on citizens’ opinions of the police

Operational strategies to build police-community trust and reduce crime in minority communities: The Minneapolis Cedar-Riverside Exploratory Policing Study

This paper describes a three-and-a-half-year project that took place in the Cedar-Riverside area of Minneapolis that explored a new approach to policing in minority communities. The project’s approach is built on the foundational concepts of procedural justice and legitimacy. The Cedar-Riverside neighborhood provided a unique laboratory for testing the approach in a challenging, real-world setting. Cedar-Riverside has the largest population of East African (primarily Somali) immigrants in the United States, largely resulting from the influx of refugees entering the U.S. in the 1990s. Many residents still speak their native language and follow traditional culture and customs from their homeland. Furthermore, residents’ perceptions of government and particularly the police have been tainted by the corruption and abuse these refugees witnessed or experienced in their native Somalia and other countries. Fear and misunderstanding between East African residents and the criminal justice system in Minneapolis (especially the police) have been and continue to be major challenges. The objective of this project was to test the idea that crime prevention and enforcement efforts of police departments are strengthened when the police actively strive to improve their relationship with the community by using every interaction as an opportunity to demonstrate civil, unbiased, fair, and respectful policing. Given the diversity and unique challenges of Cedar-Riverside, it is believed that if the concepts of procedural justice and legitimacy can be successfully implemented there, they can be applied in a broad range of other communities throughout the United States

Re-engineering training on police use of force

Reports on the need to rethink the training that police officers receive on de-escalation strategies and tactics. First, the training currently provided to new recruits and experienced officers in most departments is inadequate. We spend much less time discussing the importance of de-escalation tactics and Crisis Intervention strategies for dealing with mentally ill persons, homeless persons, and other challenging situations. Second, minimizing use of force requires changes in policy and training, but that is not enough. In several ways, this is also a question of police culture. Third, these issues are not theoretical; many departments are beginning to implement them. Fourth, we can learn lessons from other countries’ police departments. Finally, we need to take a closer look at “suicide by cop.

Critical response technical assessment review: Police accountability—findings and national implications of an assessment of the San Diego Police Department

Using the San Diego Police Department as a case study, this report aims to provide recommendations regarding ways to deter and prevent police misconduct, and identifies weaknesses in recruiting practices, supervision and training of officers, and accountability systems such as the early identification and intervention system and the mechanisms for reviewing citizen complaints

The police response to mass demonstrations: Promising practices and lessons learned

Because police departments are responsible for managing and facilitating demonstrations, departments need to review existing strategies, and modify them if necessary, to meet the challenges these trends present. Police departments should start by ensuring all officers understand that their role is to facilitate demonstrators’ First Amendment rights while protecting public safety. In addition, the police should also convey this message to the public so community members know that police officers understand their role. Police departments also need to find ways of communicating with demonstrators to discuss logistics, to develop a plan, and to establish expectations, all of which may be difficult when demonstrations occur spontaneously, with little or no established leadership structure. Finally, police departments must help officers to manage the increased stress that can result from managing protesters who are often antagonistic toward the police. In short, the challenges facing police departments today include how to protect the First Amendment rights of protesters and ensure the public’s safety while also maintaining the safety and well-being of officers.This report shared lessons learned and promising practices for the following topics: 1. Communicating with demonstrators 2. Response planning and preparation 3. Training 4. Use of force 5. Maintaining officer wellness 6. Mutual aid 7. Arrest policies 8. Transparency and accountabilit

Overcoming the challenges and creating a regional approach to policing in St. Louis City and County

In the summer of 2014, Better Together (a grassroots project born in response to growing public interest in the fragmented nature of local government throughout St. Louis City and County) a study of the state of policing in the City and County of St. Louis. The August 9, 2014, fatal shooting of Michael Brown by Ferguson Police Office Darren Wilson, and the civil unrest that ensued, gave new urgency to this initiative. The purpose of the study is two-fold: 1. To examine how policing services are currently being delivered in St. Louis County/City, assess the state of police-community relations, and compare the status quo with best practices in the policing profession. 2. To provide recommendations for moving forward, including identifying policing models and operational options to improve policing in the region