Early Research Determined

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MODEL ACADEMIC CURRICULUMMODULE 3
Introduction to Problem-Oriented Policing
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Module 3 Topics

• History of POP
• Defining a Problem
• Key Elements of POP
• Why Use POP Today?

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Early 1970s policing research determined that.

• Police deal with a range of community problems
  many are not criminal in nature.
• Arrest and prosecution alone do not always
  effectively resolve problems.
• Giving officers discretion to design solutions
  is extremely valuable to solving problems.

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Early 1970s policing research also determined
that.

• Police can use a variety of methods to redress
  recurrent problems.
• The community values police involvement in
  non-criminal problems and recognizes the
  contribution the police can make to solving these
  problems.

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• Herman Goldstein, Professor of Law Emeritus
  at the University of Wisconsin, is one of the
  early founders of the problem-oriented approach.
  His book, Problem-Oriented Policing, explains the
  principles and methods of POP, provides examples
  of POP in practice, and discusses how a police
  agency can implement the concept.

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• The Origins of Problem-Oriented Policing An
  Interview with Herman Goldstein (70 minutes).

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Problem-Oriented Policing and Problem Solving

• Problem-Oriented Policing describes a
  comprehensive framework for improving police
  capacity to perform their mission.
• Problem Solving is a more limited notion it
  describes the research process that is at the
  core of problem-oriented policing.

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What is a Problem?

• One possible definition a group of incidents
  occurring in a community, that are similar in one
  or more ways emphasis added, and that are of
  concern to the police and the public
• Problems can be defined or described in many ways
  based on an offense type, the people involved,
  where the problem occurs, when the problem
  occurs, etc.

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Key Elements of POP

• A problem is the basic unit of police work
  rather than a crime, a case, calls, or
  incidents.
• A problem is something that concerns or causes
  harm to citizens, not just the police. Things
  that concern only police are important, but they
  are not problems in this sense of the term.
• Addressing problems means more than quick fixes
  it means dealing with conditions that create
  problems.

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Key Elements of POP

• Police officers must routinely and
  systematically analyze problems before trying to
  solve them.
• Individual officers and the department must
  develop routines and systems for analyzing
  problems.
• The analysis of problems must be thorough, even
  though it may not be complicated.
• Problems must be described precisely and
  accurately and broken down into specific
  components.

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Key Elements of POP

• Problems must be understood in terms of the
  various interests. Individuals/groups have
  different ideas.
• The way the problem is currently being handled
  must be understood and the limits of
  effectiveness must be acknowledged.
• Initially, all possible responses to a problem
  should be considered and should follow from what
  is learned during the analysis. Responses should
  not be limited to, nor rule out, making arrests.

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Key Elements of POP

• The police must proactively try to solve
  problems, rather than just react to the harmful
  consequences of problems.
• Departments must increase officer freedom to
  make or participate in important decisions. At
  the same time, officers must be held accountable
  for their decision-making.
• The effectiveness of new responses must be
  evaluated so results can be shared with other
  officers, and so the department can
  systematically learn what does and does not work.

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Why Use Problem-Oriented Policing?

• It is scalable
• It applies to problems with varying levels of
  complexity, from a single problem address to a
  community-wide problem.
• It is flexible
• It applies to a variety of substantive problem
  types, from minor quality of life issues to
  serious offenses.
• It is applicable
• Though it has roots in crime pattern theory, it
  is useful to the day-to-day work of police
  officers on the street.
• It is doable
• Police officers and others can begin using these
  principles TODAY.

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Early POP Studies

• Madison PD Drunk Driving and Repeat Sex
  Offenders (1981)
• Newport News Large-scale evaluation of POP by
  the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) in
  1984, which led to the development of the SARA
  model.

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Problem-Oriented Policing Today

• Video The final chapter (POP Today) from The
  Origins of Problem-Oriented Policing An
  Interview with Herman Goldstein (10 minutes).