Chapter 4: Kansas City Preventive Patrol

I believe if the Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment was conducted today different results would be revealed due to the fact that police strategies and tactics have changed over the years in response to changes in society, public pressures, aren research. Police executives must continually reassess their organizational technology and make adjustments to improve the attainment of the goals of protecting life and property and maintaining order. Today, the knowledge base related to what works in policing is much farther along in it development than even a decade ago, making it possible for police executives to strive toward the objective of evidence-based policing (Cordner, 2016). Moreover, evidence-based policing does not replace

I will start with fifteen officers from the Tupelo Police Department. The list consists of five street officers, three administrators, and seven training officers. These officers range from a mixture of statuses to get an idea as to who hires, what training is implemented, and the affects of that training on the streets. The area selected is a rural area in Lee County. I will get an official informed consent signed by the mayor of Tupelo to conduct the study and I will get an official copy signed by the chief of Tupelo Police Department, and the officers involved.

The Kansas City preventive patrol experiment was a landmark experiment carried out between 1972 and 1973 by the Kansas City Police Department of Kansas City, Missouri. It was designed to test the assumption that the presence (or potential presence) of police officers in marked cars reduced the likelihood of a crime being committed. It was the first study to demonstrate that research into the effectiveness of different policing styles could be carried out responsibly and safely. The Kansas City Police Department drew the conclusion that routine preventive patrol in marked police cars has little value in preventing crime or making citizens feel safe and that resources normally allocated to these activities could safely be allocated elsewhere. A significant factor realized was that crime prevention was more highly dependent on the willingness of citizens to report suspicious and/or criminal behavior to Police than the levels or types of patrol.

The “broken window” policy was used to put officers on foot patrol in community neighborhoods in order to prevent household crimes such as burglary and vandalism. This main goal for policing these neighborhoods, “was

The design of the Kanas City Preventative Patrol Experiment was to test the assumption that marked police units patrolling the streets can prevent individuals from committing crimes. Areas of the city were assigned either- no routine patrols the proper level of patrols and substantially increased patrols. “The concept of preventive patrol postulated the "self-evident truth" that the mere presence of the police or reasonable potential for their presence would deter criminals from committing offenses in the immediate geographic area of the patrol” (Deployment by analysis, 2000).

The broken windows theory is another helpful technique in the long line of law enforcement remedies to deal with the crime problem today. The theory argues that the role of the police is fundamental to maintain public order and its policing strategy is to address community concern about public safety. (Braga, A. & Bond, B. 2008).

The “broken windows” model of policing was created as an experimental way of policing areas of high crime. The main focus of the “broken windows” model of policing was

Those who beforehand were willing to step forward and report crimes will be less likely to do so now, fearing their own apprehension. It is this cooperation from the community that the street cops rely on to find and arrest criminals. Once this Faith between police officers and the community is broken, it can take years to reestablish.

This paper will cover two policing styles known as the “broken windows” theory and community policing. The paper will end with a small analysis of which style would be more practical long-term. This paper will start with an explanation as to what the “broken windows” theory is. Furthermore, this paper will cover some of advantages and disadvantages of that theory when put into practical application. Additionally, this essay will explain what “community policing” as defined by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). This is followed by a brief discussion some advantages and challenges that are unique to that approach. Lastly, this paper covers which one would be more viable policing in the long-term.

According to criminologists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling, “… crime is the inevitable result of disorder.” (qtd. In Gladwell, paragraph 2). Wilson and Kelling are the masterminds behind The Broken Windows theory. The theory states that is a window is left unfixed after it is broken, people will come to the conclusion that there is no control. If that happens, more windows will be broken signifying that anything can happen. Dress code violations, mass shootings, and police brutality encounters are examples of broken windows.

The broken windows theory, originally pioneered by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling argues that a broken window is a sign that no one cares about the appearance of the property. This proverbial broken window in turn encourages other residents to neglect their property. This further sends the entire neighborhood into a downward spiral, we begin to see large amounts of litter scattered throughout the neighborhood, home owners move out, houses become vacant and left to deteriorate, rental properties begin to spring up, and single family homes are turned into multifamily homes. As the income of residents decreases so does the property value of the neighborhood, and gradually a criminal element begins to establish itself within the neighborhood.

The broken windows theory is a criminological theory that if a neighborhood looks rotten then the more trouble it welcomes. In 1982, George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson released an article focusing on the importance of the disorder. This theory is strongly attached to the African- American community. An area that shows a low population of existences states that fear or crime related situations caused the massive egress of residents. The lack of people to care for a community results into buildings looking forgotten. Therefore, broken windows appearance is a great way for convicts to hide because no one would go near a place that comes into view as spine-chilling. In additions, this produces a high risk of anxiety for African -American males believe that any moment a police officer can stop, question, and frisk them out of anticipation.

more with less. Many police departments have had to lay off officers, and some have eliminated

This program received much ridicule from law enforcement professionals as it decreased, in their eyes, the versatility of their service to the community. It seemed as that in removing officers from their patrol vehicles, it would not allow them to respond quickly to other calls and better protect their patrolled communities. As they came to find, it actually gave the people in those communities a greater sense of security and pride in their home turf.

Another top reason for the decline is that many police forces have started interrogating small offenders like those crimes that are more serious. This tactic has generated a number of leads, which in turn provides search warrants, multiple gun and drug arrests, and even homicide arrests (Giuliani Art. 108). Giuliani acknowledges that "the broken window theory of, James O. Wilson of Harvard University, has been applied successfully in America's largest cities. Wilson says a broken window that goes unrepaired is a visible sing that no one cares. It attracts additional vandalism, which soon escalates into serious crimes" (Giuliani Art. 108). Giuliani also adds "graffiti, blurring car radios, street prostitution, drag racing, public drinking and urination, squeegee window cleaners, and other aggressive beggars are, in effect, society's broken windows" (Giuliani Art. 108). These broken windows can and usually will lead to larger problems.