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Broken Police Theory

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In the middle of April, I decided to go to the police station. The drive there from my house was roughly about ten minutes. Once I arrived to the police station, I had to call the dispatcher and request a ride along. The lady on the other line told me to wait for a police officer – she will notify them that I’m there waiting. I waited about thirty to forty minutes for someone to peak out the door and ask me, “have you been helped?” I replied saying, “yes, I’m waiting for a ride along.” He told me that no one is available right now to give me a ride along. He then proceeded to tell me to come back after six o’clock. I work at a restaurant, so I decided to eat there, chat with my co-workers, and before I knew it, it was already ten after six. …show more content…

Problems happen during the day – mostly. This is an occurring problem due to the Broken Windows Theory. This metaphor describes that when a neighborhood is left unattended, it is a sign that nobody cares (Weisburd, D. & Braga, A. A., 2006). This corner store has graffiti, liter, and chipped paint. It shows the neighborhood that this business does not want to be taken seriously. Another hot spot that is in a low income residential homes is Stonybrook Apartments. This residential complex has a lot of movement going on every day. The law enforcement found a way to keep crime at a minimum and that is due to technology. Under the twenty-five techniques of situational prevention they proposed to strengthen their formal surveillance (Braga, A. A., 2006). The technology that they use in Stonybook Apartments, and every corner in Riviera Beach, is almost like having a third eye. The chief of Riviera Beach Police Department, Chief Williams, was interviewed by Michelle Quesada about the technology. He states that the “technology is bringing down crime” and that the “overall crime has gone down forty-nine percent in the last eight years” (Quesada, 2015). This helps officers work at a faster …show more content…

The city of Riviera Beach is known for its high crime, so having a limited number of officers during the busiest time (noon to six in the evening) might have people second guess this idea. Some lessons that were learned throughout this ride along assignment was the job of an officer is not an easy task. It is more than just pulling people over and it is more than just giving people tickets. Being an officer means that you prevent any crime as much as possible. They have one eye looking straight and the other looking at the rear-view mirror. Riviera Beach, Deerfield Beach, and Palm Beach Gardens are similar in the sense that there is drug activity crime; however, they differ when it comes to the factors that contribute to the crime. Deerfield Beach and Riviera Beach are similar because they have low income households and lack of supervision for children. In Palm Beach Gardens, there aren’t many children around, but there are nightclubs and those cause a huge issue – drugs, alcohol, and violence. All in all, no matter how severe a crime might be, by using problem solving skills, crime can be

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