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MODEL ACADEMIC CURRICULUM

COURSE OVERVIEW

This project was supported by cooperative agreement #2005CKWXK001 by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions contained herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement of the product by the author or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues.

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PROBLEM-ORIENTED POLICING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING

Module 1 – The Evolution of Policing

Module 2 – Community Policing

Module 3 – Introduction to Problem Oriented Policing

Module 4 – The SARA Model

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CRIME THEORIES & SITUATIONAL CRIME PREVENTION

Module 5 – Crime Theories and Crime Opportunity

Module 6 – Situational Crime Prevention

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RESEARCHING/SCANNING AND ANALYZING PROBLEMS

Module 7 – Identifying and Researching Problems

Module 8 – Problem Solving Resources

Module 9 – Crime Analysis for Problem Solvers in 60 Small Steps

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RETURNING TO THE CRIME TRIANGLE

Module 10 – Responding to Crime Places

Module 11 – Responding to Offenders

Module 12 – Responding to Targets/Victims

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ASSESSING YOUR PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY AND OTHER CHALLENGES

TO IMPLEMENTING POP PROJECTS

Module 13 – Assessing and Evaluating Responses

Module 14 – Challenges and Future Considerations for Implementing Successful POP Projects

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MODEL ACADEMIC CURRICULUM

MODULE 1

The Evolution of Policing

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Module 1 Topics

• Fundamental Objectives of Policing and the Primary Police Functions

• A Brief History of Policing

• Policing Styles and Strategies– Types of Patrol– Broken Windows Theory– Crackdowns

• Crime Science

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Fundamental Objectives of Policing

• To prevent and control conduct threatening to life and property

• To aid crime victims and protect people in danger of physical harm

• To protect constitutional guarantees such as the right to free speech and assembly

• To facilitate the movement of people and vehicles

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Fundamental Objectives of Policing

• To assist those who cannot care for themselves (e.g., intoxicated, mentally ill, elderly, young)

• To resolve conflict between individuals, groups or between citizens and the government

• To identify problems that have the potential to become more serious

• To create and maintain feelings of security in the community

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Primary Police Functions

• Service Delivery

• Law Enforcement

• Order Maintenance

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The Evolution of The Evolution of PolicingPolicing

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Developmental Stages of Policing

• Informal Policing

• Transitional Policing

• Formal Policing

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The Historical Eras of Policing in America

• Political Era

• Professional/Reform Era

• Community Policing Era

• Are we now in a Problem-Solving Era??

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Styles of Policing

• Legalistic Style – emphasis on law enforcement function of policing

• Service Style – emphasis on delivering service to the community

• Watchman Style – emphasis on maintaining order in the community

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Reactive Policing vs. Proactive Policing

• Police respond to citizen calls for assistance

• Patrol is routine and unstructured

• 911 calls drive police activity

• Dispatch section dictates police activity

• Emphasis on solving crimes

• Police seek crime solutions before the crimes occur

• Patrol is targeted• Crime patterns drive

police activity• Records

Management/Research dictates police activity

• Emphasis on preventing crimes

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Various Types of Police Patrol

• Routine Patrol

• Targeted Patrol– Directed Patrol– Offender-focused Patrol– Place-focused Patrol– Victim-focused Patrol

• Foot Patrol

• Others – Horse, bike, air, boat, snowmobile, etc.

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Broken Windows TheoryJames Wilson and George Kelling

• If you leave a broken window unfixed, it’s an indicator of a lack of social concern and will lead to more significant social and neighborhood decay

• Paying attention to the details of a neighborhood or community can impact crime and fear of crime

• The best way to fight more serious crime is to fight the disorder that precedes it

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One Traditional Police ResponseCrackdowns

• “Sudden and dramatic increases in police officer presence, sanctions, and threats of apprehension either for specific offenses or for all offenses in specific places”

• Crackdowns usually, but not necessarily, involve high police visibility and numerous arrests.

• Crackdowns may use undercover officers working with uniformed police; may involve actions other than arrests.

• Other terms commonly used for crackdowns – Zero Tolerance; Sweeps; Aggressive Policing

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Specific actions officers might take as part of a crackdown include…• arresting offenders; • issuing citations; • conducting field interviews; • issuing written or verbal warnings; • taking juvenile offenders into custody for status

offenses (for example, for truancy or curfew violations);

• conducting highly visible patrols; • conducting traffic stops; • serving search warrants; • serving arrest warrants

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Benefits of Crackdowns

• Crackdowns hold substantial appeal for the public, police, and government officials.

• They offer the promise of firm, immediate action and quick, decisive results.

• Crackdowns appeal to demands that order be restored.

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Benefits of Crackdowns• Crackdowns can be effective—at least in the

short term—at reducing crime and disorder.

• The positive effects of crackdowns sometimes continue after the crackdowns end (sometimes referred to as residual deterrence effects).

• Crackdowns can reduce crime and disorder outside the target area or reduce other offenses, a phenomenon known as a diffusion of benefits.

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Crackdowns• Police often use crackdowns in combination with

other responses to reduce crime and respond to criminals.

– targeting repeat offenders

– conducting sting operations

– educating and warning citizens

– improving place management

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Criticisms and Concerns

• Often just a short-term impact

• Potential for abuse of authority

• Can be rather expensive

• Significant impact on the CJ system

• Limits use of resources in other areas

• Concerns with displacement

• May have an impact on police/community relationships

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Effective Policing Strategies…

• Are focused on statistical concentrations - places, times, offenders, and victims.

• Use a suite of interventions; some delivered by the police and some delivered by others.

• Are based on the idea of leverage…working smarter, not harder.

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Why Should we Pay Attention to Scientific Evidence?

• Our instincts, our knee-jerk reactions, and our gut impressions are often wrong

• Many evaluations of crime prevention programs find that the programs have no effect in reducing crime or recidivism.

• Many programs that research has demonstrated to be ineffective are still widely used in policing.

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An Even Better Reason to Pay Attention to Scientific Evidence

• Sometimes crime prevention programs fail to work and they can actually INCREASE crime or recidivism.

• One well-documented example is “Scared Straight.” Another set of programs that often produce such “boomerang effects” are those that bring juvenile delinquents together in camps, detention facilities, or recreational programs.

• Perhaps the best reason to pay attention to the scientific evidence comes from the field of medical ethics: “Primum Non Nocere” or “Above all, do no harm.”