U.S. Department of Justice 
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 
www.cops.usdoj.gov 

Disorder at Day 
Laborer Sites 

by 
Rob T. Guerette 
Problem-Oriented Guides for Police 
Problem-Specific Guides Series 
No. 44 


www.PopCenter.org 
Center for Problem-Oriented Policing 

Got a Problem? Weve got answers! 

Log onto the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing website at 
www.popcenter.org for a wealth of information to help you deal 
more effectively with crime and disorder in your community, 
including: 

 Web-enhanced versions of all currently available Guides 
 Interactive training exercises 
 Online access to research and police practices 
 Online problem analysis module. 

Designed for police and those who work with them to address 
community problems, www.popcenter.org is a great resource in 
problem-oriented policing. 

Supported by the Office of Community Oriented Policing 
Services, U.S. Department of Justice. 


Problem-Oriented Guides for Police 
Problem-Specific Guides Series 
Guide No. 44 

Disorder at Day 
Laborer Sites 

Rob T. Guerette 

This project was supported by cooperative agreement 
#2004CKWXK002 by the Office of Community Oriented Policing 
Services, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions contained herein 
are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official 
position of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific 
companies, products, or services do not constitute endorsements from 
the author(s) or the Justice Department. Rather, such references are 
used to supplement discussion of the issues. 

www.cops.usdoj.gov 

ISBN: 1-932582-72-X 

October 2006 


About the Problem-Specific Guides Series 

The Problem-Specific Guides summarize knowledge about how 
police can reduce the harm caused by specific crime and 
disorder problems. They are guides to prevention and to 
improving the overall response to incidents, not to investigating 
offenses or handling specific incidents. Neither do they cover 
all of the technical details about how to implement specific 
responses. The guides are written for policeof whatever rank 
or assignmentwho must address the specific problem the 
guides cover. The guides will be most useful to officers who: 

 
Understand basic problem-oriented policing principles 
and methods. The guides are not primers in problem-
oriented policing. They deal only briefly with the initial 
decision to focus on a particular problem, methods to 
analyze the problem, and means to assess the results of a 
problem-oriented policing project. They are designed to help 
police decide how best to analyze and address a problem 
they have already identified. (A companion series of Problem-
Solving Tools guides has been produced to aid in various 
aspects of problem analysis and assessment.) 

 
Can look at a problem in depth. Depending on the 
complexity of the problem, you should be prepared to spend 
perhaps weeks, or even months, analyzing and responding to 
it. Carefully studying a problem before responding helps you 
design the right strategy, one that is most likely to work in 
your community. You should not blindly adopt the responses 
others have used; you must decide whether they are 
appropriate to your local situation. What is true in one place 
may not be true elsewhere; what works in one place may not 
work everywhere. 


 
Are willing to consider new ways of doing police 
business. The guides describe responses that other police 
departments have used or that researchers have tested. 
While not all of these responses will be appropriate to your 
particular problem, they should help give a broader view of 
the kinds of things you could do. You may think you cannot 
implement some of these responses in your jurisdiction, 
but perhaps you can. In many places, when police have 
discovered a more effective response, they have succeeded 
in having laws and policies changed, improving the response 
to the problem. (A companion series of Response Guides has 
been produced to help you understand how commonly-used 
police responses work on a variety of problems.) 

 
Understand the value and the limits of research 
knowledge. For some types of problems, a lot of useful 
research is available to the police; for other problems, 
little is available. Accordingly, some guides in this series 
summarize existing research whereas other guides illustrate 
the need for more research on that particular problem. 
Regardless, research has not provided definitive answers to 
all the questions you might have about the problem. The 
research may help get you started in designing your own 
responses, but it cannot tell you exactly what to do. This 
will depend greatly on the particular nature of your local 
problem. In the interest of keeping the guides readable, 
not every piece of relevant research has been cited, nor has 
every point been attributed to its sources. To have done so 
would have overwhelmed and distracted the reader. The 
references listed at the end of each guide are those drawn 
on most heavily; they are not a complete bibliography of 
research on the subject. 

 
Are willing to work with others to find effective 
solutions to the problem. The police alone cannot 
implement many of the responses discussed in the guides. 
They must frequently implement them in partnership with 


other responsible private and public bodies including other 
government agencies, non-governmental organizations, 
private businesses, public utilities, community groups, 
and individual citizens. An effective problem-solver must 
know how to forge genuine partnerships with others 
and be prepared to invest considerable effort in making 
these partnerships work. Each guide identifies particular 
individuals or groups in the community with whom 
police might work to improve the overall response to that 
problem. Thorough analysis of problems often reveals 
that individuals and groups other than the police are in 
a stronger position to address problems and that police 
ought to shift some greater responsibility to them to do 
so. Response Guide No. 3, Shifting and Sharing Responsibility 
for Public Safety Problems, provides further discussion of this 
topic. 

The COPS Office defines community policing as a policing 
philosophy that promotes and supports organizational 
strategies to address the causes and reduce the fear of crime 
and social disorder through problem-solving tactics and 
police-community partnerships. These guides emphasize 
problem-solving and police-community partnerships in the 
context of addressing specific public safety problems. For 
the most part, the organizational strategies that can facilitate 
problem-solving and police-community partnerships vary considerably 
and discussion of them is beyond the scope of these guides. 

These guides have drawn on research findings and police 
practices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, 
Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia. 
Even though laws, customs and police practices vary from 
country to country, it is apparent that the police everywhere 
experience common problems. In a world that is becoming 
increasingly interconnected, it is important that police be 
aware of research and successful practices beyond the borders 
of their own countries. 


Each guide is informed by a thorough review of the research 
literature and reported police practice and is anonymously 
peer-reviewed by line police officers, police executives and 
researchers prior to publication. 

The COPS Office and the authors encourage you to provide 
feedback on this guide and to report on your own agencys 
experiences dealing with a similar problem. Your agency 
may have effectively addressed a problem using responses 
not considered in these guides and your experiences and 
knowledge could benefit others. This information will be used 
to update the guides. If you wish to provide feedback and 
share your experiences it should be sent via e-mail to cops_ 
pubs@usdoj.gov. 

For more information about problem-oriented policing, visit 
the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing online at www. 
popcenter.org. This website offers free online access to: 

 the Problem-Specific Guides series 
 the companion Response Guides and Problem-Solving Tools series 
 instructional information about problem-oriented policing 
and related topics 
 an interactive problem-oriented policing training exercise 
 an interactive Problem Analysis Module 
 a manual for crime analysts 
 online access to important police research and practices 
 information about problem-oriented policing conferences 
and award programs. 


Acknowledgments 

The Problem-Oriented Guides for Police are produced by the 
Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, whose officers are 
Michael S. Scott (Director), Ronald V. Clarke (Associate 
Director) and Graeme R. Newman (Associate Director). 
While each guide has a primary author, other project team 
members, COPS Office staff and anonymous peer reviewers 
contributed to each guide by proposing text, recommending 
research and offering suggestions on matters of format and 
style. 

The project team that developed the guide series comprised 
Herman Goldstein (University of Wisconsin Law School), 
Ronald V. Clarke (Rutgers University), John E. Eck (University 
of Cincinnati), Michael S. Scott (University of Wisconsin Law 
School), Rana Sampson (Police Consultant), and Deborah 
Lamm Weisel (North Carolina State University.) 

Members of the San Diego; National City, California; and 
Savannah, Georgia police departments provided feedback on 
the guides format and style in the early stages of the project. 

Cynthia E. Pappas oversaw the project for the COPS Office. 
Research for the guide was conducted at the Criminal Justice 
Library at Rutgers University under the direction of Phyllis 
Schultze. Suzanne Fregly edited this guide. 


contents 

About the Problem-Specific Guides Series ...............................i 

Acknowledgments ........................................................v 

The Problem Associated With Day Laborer Sites ..........................1
What This Guide Does and Does Not Cover ................................1
General Descr pt on of the Problem .....................................1
Harms Caused by Disorder at Day Laborer Sites ..........................2
Public Disorder ........................................................3
Crime ..................................................................3
Economic Concerns ......................................................3
Spillover Effects ......................................................4
Day Laborer and Smuggling Links ........................................4
Factors Contributing to Disorder at Day Laborer Sites ..................4
Day Laborer Markets ....................................................5
Employment Conditions ..................................................5
Day Laborers ...........................................................7
Employers ..............................................................8
Day Laborer Sites ......................................................9
Understanding Your Local Problem ..................................... 11
Stakeholders ......................................................... 11
Asking the Right Questions ........................................... 12
Day Laborers ......................................................... 12
Employers............................................................. 12
Merchants and Community Members ...................................... 12
Locations/Times....................................................... 13
Human Smuggling Links ................................................ 13
Current Responses .................................................... 13
Measuring Your Effectiveness ......................................... 14


Responses to the Problems Associated With Day Laborer Sites .......... 15
General Principles for an Effective Strategy ..........................15
Specific Responses To Reduce Disorder at Day Laborer Sites ............16
Managing Day Laboring .................................................16
Enforcing Laws ........................................................20
Responses With Limited Effectiveness ..................................22

Append x: Summary of Responses to Disorder at Day Laborer Sites ...... 25
Endnotes ............................................................. 29
References ............................................................31
About the Author ......................................................35
Recommended Read ngs ..................................................37
Other Problem-Oriented Guides for Police ..............................41


The Problem of Disorder at Day Laborer Sites 

What This Guide Does and Does Not Cover 

This guide addresses the problem of disorder at day laborer 
sites. It begins by describing the problem and reviewing 
factors that increase the risks of it. It then identifies a series 
of questions to help you analyze your local problem. Finally, 
it reviews responses to the problem and what is known about 
them from evaluative research and practice. 

Disorder at day laborer sites is but one aspect of the larger 
set of problems related to both public disorder and to illegal 
immigration. This guide is limited to addressing the particular 
harms created by disorder at day laborer sites. Related 
problemseach of which require separate analysisnot 
directly addressed in this guide include: 

 exploitation of day laborers by contractors who fail to pay 
or pay less than the agreed-to wage 
 victimization of day laborers by angry citizens 
 illegal immigration and human smuggling rings 
 associations with groups engaged in trafficking women for 
prostitution 
 links with other forms of organized crime, such as drug 
smuggling. 

General Description of the Problem 

Views related to day laborers vary considerably. Some people 
view them as valuable resources providing cheap labor that 
others will not do. Others see them as illegal immigrants 
and transients who take jobs, commit crimes, and cause 


community disorder. How communities view day laborers 
largely depends on how intrusive day-laboring activities 
become on citizens daily lives. Most communities will be 
ambivalent to day laborers until their presence leads to 
problems, some criminal and some not.1 Community attitudes 
against day laborers may be rooted in anti-immigration views 
more generally. How the community views day laborers and 
illegal immigrants, whether they are critical or sympathetic, 
will affect how any particular community addresses problems 
at day laborer sites. This guide does not adopt any particular 
judgment about illegal immigrants rather it is intended 
to objectively inform you about the effectiveness and 
consequences of various approaches to managing problematic 
behavior at day laboring locations. 

Day laborers are those who congregate in public places 
seeking manual-labor jobs such as construction, gardening, 
landscaping, and farming. These laborers work daily for 
predetermined wages. The amount of money laborers earn 
varies from market to market and time of year. Day laborer 
sites tend to be concentrated where there is a proliferation of 
construction, manufacturing, farming, and other industries 
dependent on large numbers of relatively unskilled manual 
laborers. 

Harms Caused by Disorder at Day Laborer Sites 

Potential problems associated with day laborer sites center 
mostly on where laborers congregate while waiting for work, 
and not at the workplaces themselves. The following are 
among the many reasons police need to be concerned with 
day laborer activity. 

 Day laborers are sometimes 
referred to as jornaleros or esquineros, 
the former meaning day worker 
and the latter meaning street-corner 
worker. 

 Researchers often distinguish 
between informal and formal day labor 
markets. Formal day laborers are 
those who work for temp agencies, 
contracted out on a daily or extended 
basis. This guide focuses on informal 
day laborers. 


Public Disorder 

 
The presence of large numbers of laborers and contractors 
often creates parking and traffic problems. 
 
The constant congregation of laborers in the same place 
for many hours creates loitering problems. 
 
Laborers often leave discarded bottles, food wrappers, and 
other litter at day laborer sites. 
 Laborers may vandalize area property or deface property 
with graffiti. 
 Laborers waiting all day for work may urinate in public. 
 Injuries among laborers related to swarming may occur. 
Swarming often occurs when there are many more laborers 
than the contractor needs. Injuries sometimes occur when 
many laborers swarm around a contractors vehicle, 
hoping to be selected for a job. 
 Laborers congregating on sidewalks may harass pedestrians. 

Crime 

 Simple and aggravated assaults may take place at day laborer 
sites. 
 Laborers may be routinely robbed.2 
 Laborers may drink and sell or use illicit drugs in public. 

Economic Concerns 

 Immigrant day laborers may make it more difficult for 
community residents to find work. 
 Increased contractors reliance on day laborers may 
undercut salary levels and employee benefits for full-time 
workers. 


Spillover Effects 

 
The presence of troublesome day laborer sites may incite 
citizens frustration and disdain for immigrants. 
 
Disorderly day laborer sites could lead to increased fear of 
crime among community members. 
 
Uncontrolled day laborer sites in residential areas may affect 
property values. 

Day Laborer and Smuggling Links 

As most day laborers are illegal immigrants, most have been 
assisted by smugglers. Research indicates that smugglers help 
nine out of 10 immigrants entering the United States across 
the Mexican border.3 Many immigrants use smugglers to help 
them find places to live in the United States, and become 
obligated to them if they cannot afford to pay them up front. 
Thus, some immigrants must work to repay smugglers for 
arranging their transport and housing. It is common for many 
immigrants to live in one house or apartment that is managed 
by the smuggler or someone with ties to the smuggler. These 
residences may be near day labor sites. 

Factors Contributing to Disorder at Day Laborer Sites 

Understanding the factors that contribute to your problem 
will help you frame your own local analysis questions, identify 
valid effectiveness measures, determine important intervention 
points, and select an appropriate set of responses for your 
specific problem. The literature on day laborers provides a 
general picture of the market for them, the conditions of 
day-labor work, the laborers themselves, their employers, the 
places where they assemble, and the link between day laborers 
and human smuggling. 


Day Laborer Markets 

Day laboring dates back to at least the medieval times, when 
laborers assembled in daily or weekly markets throughout 
Europe to be hired for farming and herding tasks. In the 
United States, day laboring dates back to the late 1700s, 
when common laborers (many of them immigrants) such as 
chimney sweepers, wood cutters, and cart men sought jobs 
daily. During the mid-1800s, shape-up sites in northeastern 
port cities had a system of hiring dockworkers for daily or 
half-day shifts. 

Todays market for day laborers exists wherever there is a need 
for construction and agricultural workers. The jobs include 
home construction and/or refurbishment, landscaping, 
roofing, painting, and harvesting and other farming activities. 
In some regions, day laborers work in factories on production 
lines. 

For low-skilled or illiterate workers, day labor sites provide 
an easily accessible way to find employment. For employers, 
day labor sites provide easy access to a relatively large pool of 
workers whom they can hire when needed and release when 
not. 

Employment Conditions 

The specific conditions of day labor employment vary, but 
the arrangement is generally the same regardless of place or 
employer. Day laborers are usually paid in cash at the end 
of each workday. The wages paid to day laborers vary and 
depend on the time of year, the skill of the laborer, and 
the location of the day laborer site. By some estimates, the 
pay can reach $80 to $100 a day, exceeding federal and state 
minimum-wage ceilings.4 However, in markets where there are 

 For more on the history of 
organized day labor, see Larrowe 
(1955), Mohl (1971), Mund (1948), and 
Valenzuela (2003). 


many more laborers than jobs, wages may be bargained lower, 
resulting in pay that is below minimum wage. Employment 
generally lasts from one to three days, is unstable, and 
provides no benefits or worker protections.5 Employers may 
sometimes mistreat day laborers, may not pay them for their 
work, may make them work without regular breaks, and may 
require them to work under hazardous conditions. 

www.judicialwatch.org 

Laborers crowd around a vehicle soliciting work. This 
practice is also referred to as swarming. 

Despite the chaotic appearance of day labor sites, the daily 
procedures are relatively structured. Laborers usually gather 
at the site at around 6 a.m., waiting for prospective employers 
to pass by in pickup trucks or vans. As prospective employers 
arrive, groups of laborers crowd around the vehicles pointing 
to themselves and indicating their availability for work. 
Employers select laborers for different reasons, some of 
which include the laborers skills and ability to speak English. 


Often, employers will return to the site and look for men they 
have hired previously. Many laborers wait several hours before 
getting a job. Some laborers do not secure jobs at all and 
usually leave the site in the afternoon. It is common for some 
laborers not to secure work for several days, and periods of 
unemployment lasting several weeks have been reported.6 The 
rate at which the laborer will be paid is often negotiated during 
the selection process, but is sometimes agreed to on the way to 
the jobsite or at the jobsite itself, once the laborer has seen the 
nature of the work. The employer often provides lunch. 

Day Laborers 

The exact number of day laborers is uncertain; however, 
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has estimated that 
approximately 260,000 wait each day on street corners for 
employment.7 In Los Angeles, some 20,000 to 22,000 day 
laborers are estimated to seek work every day.8 Most day 
laborers are male, entered the country illegally, are young, are 
uneducated, and either cannot speak English or have poor 
command of the language.9 Because of their illegal status, they 
largely lack access to formal employment. Most day laborers 
are Hispanic, though this varies somewhat by region. For 
example, in Chicago one study reported that the majority of 
day laborers were African-American.10 

Day labor appeals to workers for many reasons. First, day 
laborers are paid in cash at the end of each workday. Getting 
paid daily is beneficial because laborers can use the money 
immediately to pay for food and other needs. Receiving 
payment in cash also eliminates the need to establish a bank 
account. This appeals to illegal immigrants who are wary of 
formal institutions and/or lack the documentation needed to 
establish accounts. Second, payment in cash means that day 


labor work is under the table and tax-free. This creates 
further incentives for immigrants who have worked for much 
less in their home countries. Finally, day laborers have the 
power to negotiate their wages for each job. They are free to 
accept or decline a job and to walk off the job site, should 
they choose. This negotiation power allows them to undercut 
the market rate, while at the same time make much more 
money than possible in their homeland.11 

Employers 

Comparatively little is known about those who employ day 
laborers, but one study found that contractors hire the large 
majority of them. Private employers are the next largest group 
of hirers.12 Employing day laborers is appealing because they 
are easily accessible, are hardworking, can be hired when 
needed, and are cheaper to employ since employers are not 
required to provide benefits packages. Employers often rehire 
the same workers once they have established a relationship 
and the laborers work skills are established. 


Day Laborer Sites 

Day laborer sites exist mostly in metropolitan areas. Sites 
are often located adjacent to paint stores, plant nurseries, 
truck rental stores, and home improvement or hardware 
stores. Laborers may congregate in the store parking lots, 
marketing themselves for specific types of employment. 
For instance, those in front of paint stores are looking for 
painting jobs, whereas those in front of home improvement 
stores are looking for general construction jobs. It is efficient 
for day laborer sites to be located near such establishments 
because it allows prospective employers to pick up supplies 
and workers all in one stop. However, the congregation of 
large numbers of laborers sometimes causes problems for 
merchants, who might take actions to keep the laborers off 
the premises, thereby displacing them to nearby street corners 
and sidewalks. 

Glendale (California) Police Department 

Day laborer sites may also exist in public parks, vacant 
lots, and residential neighborhoods that are easily 
accessible to laborers and/or employers. 


Day laborer sites also exist in public parks, vacant lots, and 
residential neighborhoods. These sites may exist for a variety 
of reasons; they are easily accessible to laborers and/or 
employers, have simply been there for many years, or have 
informally been allowed to exist by community members. 
Municipalities, church groups, and other community-based 
organizations have established a smaller number of day 
laborer sites to help deal with the large numbers of day 
laborers. These sites are usually regulated and pose the fewest 
problems for the community. 


Understanding Your Local Problem 

The information provided above is only a generalized 
description of day laborers and the circumstances of their 
existence. You must combine the basic facts with a more 
specific understanding of your local problem. Analyzing the 
local problem carefully will help you design a more effective 
response strategy. 

Stakeholders 

In addition to criminal justice agencies, the following groups 
have an interest in the disorder at day laborer sites problem 
and ought to be considered for the contribution they might 
make to gathering information about the problem and 
responding to it: 

 
area residents 
 
area businesses 
 
local government agencies (e.g., employment relations, 
public works, traffic engineering, city or county attorney, 
and community and economic development) 
 
state government labor/employment relations agencies 
 
religious and charitable organizations serving the day 
laborer population 
 
immigrant and human rights groups 
 
employers of day laborers such as contractors and 
landscaping companies 
 
area building and landscaping supply companies 
 
day laborers themselves. 


Asking the Right Questions 

The following are some critical questions you should ask in 
analyzing your particular day laborer-site problem, even if the 
answers are not always readily available. Your answers to these 
and other questions will help you choose the most appropriate 
set of responses later on. 

Day Laborers 

 
What do you know about the day laborers (e.g., age, gender, 
ethnicity, immigration status, language ability, criminal 
history, residence)? 
 
How do employers treat day laborers? 
 
Are citizens victimizing day laborers? 
 
How committed are day laborers to using a particular day 
laborer site? 
 
How committed are day laborers to day laboring? 

Employers 

 
What do you know about those who employ day laborers 
(e.g., type of work, contractor, private citizen, company)? 
 
How committed are employers to using day labor? 
 
How committed are employers to hiring day laborers at the 
current location? 
 
What problems have employers had in using day laborers? 

Merchants and Community Members 

 
How concerned about day labor sites are merchants and 
community members? 
 
What are their complaints about day laborers or about the 
sites? 
 
What actions, if any, have they taken in response to 
problems at day labor sites? 


Locations/Times 

 
Where are day labor sites located? What makes the sites 
attractive? 
 
Which day labor sites have routine problems? Which do 
not? Why? 
 
When do problems at day labor sites occur? 
 
Which area merchants do the day-labor sites harm? 
 
Which area merchants benefit from the day labor sites? 
 
How do the day labor sites appear (e.g., trash and/or 
graffiti present)? 
 
How long have the day labor sites been there? 
 
Are the day labor sites located in safe or in high-crime 
areas? 
 
What are the vehicle and pedestrian traffic conditions at the 
day labor sites? 

Human Smuggling Links 

 
Are day labor sites located near residences where large 
numbers of laborers live? 
 
Do day laborers owe money to smugglers? 

Current Responses 

 
What is the police departments current policy in dealing 
with problems associated with day laborer sites? 
 
What is the police departments current policy in dealing 
with illegal immigrants? 
 
What responses do police officers use regarding problems 
associated with day laborers, other than arrest and 
prosecution? Are any especially effective? 
 
What are community and church groups doing in regard to 
day laborers and/or immigrants? 


Measuring Your Effectiveness 

Measurement allows you to determine to what degree your 
efforts have succeeded, and suggests how you might modify 
your responses if they are not producing the intended 
results. You should take measures of your problem before you 
implement responses, to determine how serious the problem 
is, and after you implement them, to determine whether they 
have been effective. You should take all measures in both 
the target area and the surrounding area. (For more-detailed 
guidance on measuring effectiveness, see the companion guide 
to this series, Assessing Responses to Problems: An Introductory 
Guide for Police Problem-Solvers.) 

The following are potentially useful measures of the 
effectiveness of responses to problems associated with day 
laborers: 

 reduced number of citizen complaints about day laborers 
 reduced reports of violence 
 reduced reports of robberies 
 reduced traffic congestion around day laborer sites 
 less evidence of trash and litter 
 fewer injuries among day laborers 
 fewer observations of drug and alcohol use 
 improved perceptions of order among area merchants and 
residents. 


Responses to the Problems Associated 
With Day Laborer Sites 

Your analysis of your local problem should give you a better 
understanding of the factors contributing to it. Once you 
have analyzed your local problem and established a baseline 
for measuring effectiveness, you should consider possible 
responses to address the problem. The following response 
strategies provide a foundation of ideas for addressing your 
particular problem. These strategies are drawn from a variety 
of studies and police reports. Several of these strategies 
may apply to your communitys problem. It is critical that 
you tailor responses to local circumstances, and that you 
can justify each response based on reliable analysis. In most 
cases, an effective strategy will involve implementing several 
different responses. Law enforcement responses alone are 
seldom effective in reducing or solving the problem. Do 
not limit yourself to considering what police can do: give 
careful consideration to who else in your community shares 
responsibility for the problem and can help police better 
respond to it. The responsibility of responding, in some 
cases, may need to be shifted toward those who have the 
capacity to implement more effective responses. (For more 
detailed information on shifting and sharing responsibility, 
see Response Guide No. 3, Shifting and Sharing Responsibility for 
Public Safety Problems). 

General Principles for an Effective Strategy 

You should consider a few general principles when developing 
your response strategy. Which particular responses you adopt 
should depend on what you learn from a careful analysis of 
your local problem. This should include an understanding of 
your communitys attitudes toward day laborers and illegal 
immigrants. In places where there are strong anti-illegal 


immigrant sentiments, perceptions of police aiding day 
laborers could lead to citizen backlash against the agency. 
Conversely, arresting day laborers and other enforcement 
tactics may lead to resentment of police by citizens in 
communities that are sympathetic to illegal immigrants. In 
either case, community perceptions will have to be considered 
in formulating your response. 

Strategies that focus exclusively on arresting day laborers or 
enforcing immigration laws are unlikely to be effective in the 
long term.13 Strategies that seek to reduce the harms caused 
by day laborer sites rather than those that seek to eliminate 
day laboring altogether are more likely to work. An effective 
strategy should not only deter problems associated with day 
laborer sites, but also must provide an appropriate location 
and manner in which to carry out day laboring. This will entail 
sanctioning prohibited behaviors and encouraging agreed-to 
procedures for soliciting day-labor work. This might include 
establishing a designated location and creating rules. It 
usually requires cooperation among police, other government 
agencies, community service groups, local merchants, 
employers, and day laborers themselves. 

Specific Responses to Reduce Disorder at Day Laborer 
Sites 

Managing Day Laboring 

1. Improving the organization at current day laborer 
sites. Problems stemming from day laboring may not require 
new day-laboring sites; rather, better management of the ones 
that exist may be the solution. Creating and posting rules 
and procedures for laborers and employers to follow, placing 
trash containers and portable or permanent restrooms at the 
site, and so on, will reduce some of the associated problems. 


Enlisting managers to oversee the area will also reduce 
problems. These managers can be government employees, 
police officers, citizen volunteers, or community service 
groups. 

2. Imposing time restrictions on day labor activities. 

Some communities have implemented time restrictions on 
when day laborers are allowed to solicit work.14 Allotting 
certain times of the day enables police to manage the process 
without having to devote substantial manpower to additional 
hours. It also reduces problems associated with laborers who 
linger around the site throughout the day. Time restrictions 
can be permanent or temporary, until a new day labor center 
is constructed. 

3. Establishing new day labor centers. Many communities 
have established new day labor centers.15 The advantage of 
this approach is that the center can be constructed from the 
beginning and designed to eliminate the problems found at 
the day labor site. A suitable location can be selected and 
the facility can be built to accommodate day labor activity 
efficiently. The disadvantages are that it will require more 
funding and time spent getting it approved and built. It 
will also require other measures to ensure that laborers and 
employers actually use the center. The site can be either 
managed or unmanaged. Managed sites will be more orderly 
and have fewer problems.16 

3a. Using volunteers to manage day labor centers. Using 
volunteers to manage day labor centers can help to reduce 
costs. Volunteers can include area residents and merchants, 
and religious or other community groups. In some places, 
day laborers themselves volunteer to help run the centers.17 
However, volunteers alone are insufficient to manage the site. 
The center will need ongoing police oversight and support. 


3b. Soliciting help from area merchants. Area merchants 
can help in establishing day labor centers. They can provide 
material and financial assistance in building the centers. For 
instance, in Glendale, California, an affected Home Depot 
donated building supplies for a new center. Merchants can 
also prove instrumental in working with police to ensure 
compliance among employers and laborers with newly 
adopted ordinances and procedures. Lastly, merchants 
can be enlisted to help in the ongoing management and 
administration of day labor centers. 

3c. Obtaining grants and other financial support. 

Some communities have received city and private funding 
to build day labor centers. Community Development Block 
Grants have also been awarded.18 Other communities 
have established city- and privately-funded nonprofit 
organizations.19 To do this, it will be necessary to estimate 
how much funding will be required, and to identify entities 
with an interest in establishing and maintaining an orderly 
day laborer center. Because illegal immigration is politically 
sensitive, obtaining public funds to manage them may be 
difficult. You may be more successful obtaining financial 
support from non-governmental entities. 

3d. Creating and enforcing rules and procedures at day 
labor centers and sites. Part of managing day labor centers 
involves establishing rules of conduct and procedures for 
laborers and employers to follow. In some communities, this 
has been a collective process where laborers and employers 
help to create the rules and procedures. This democratic 
process should ensure acceptance by the participants and will 
facilitate successful self-policing among them. The rules and 
procedures should, at a minimum, include the following: 

 prohibitions against drinking, drug use, and gambling 
 prohibitions against swarming 
 prohibitions against violence 


 prohibitions against public urination and littering 
 proper procedures for soliciting employers and laborers 
 provisions that ensure employers treat laborers fairly (e.g., 
pay laborers at the agreed-to price and provide breaks). 

In addition to setting rules and procedures, sanctions will also 
be required to deter violations. Conditions could be attached 
to the prohibitive behaviors, such that those who violate 
the rules are temporarily banned from the center or site, in 
addition to arrest if the behavior is criminal. Allowing day 
laborers and employers to help in determining sanctions will 
promote acceptance and self-policing. 

3e. Forming an advisory committee. Forming an 
advisory committee to oversee the day labor center can 
help ensure that it runs efficiently, and can also increase the 
centers support base. People from many different groups 
and organizations should serve on the committee. Advisors 
might include employees from government social-service 
offices, police officers, area merchants, citizens, employers 
of day laborers, day laborers themselves, and members of 
nongovernmental community-service groups. 

4. Establishing supplemental programs at day labor 
centers. Some communities have implemented service, 
education, and training programs at day labor centers.20 These 
programs provide needed services for day laborers and give 
them added incentives to use the centers. Participation in 
the supplementary programs also gives laborers constructive 
ways to spend their time while they are waiting for work. 
Educational and training programs include English language 
instruction, computer skills classes, and job preparation 
programs. Service programs include those for food, clothing, 

 Examples of this include 
establishing specified zones where 
laborers and employers are allowed 
to solicit, creating a single-file roster 
system of laborers available for hire, 
and designating specific areas for 
various laborer skills (e.g., one area 
for construction workers and another 
for landscapers). See Calderon, 
Foster, and Rodriguez (n.d.); Ruiz 
(1998); and Toma and Esbenshade 
(2001). 


and shelter assistance; immigration services; legal services; 
banking services; tool-sharing; and health care referrals. 
Establishing services and programs from outside groups 
government or otherswill also give outsiders incentives to 
manage and maintain the centers. 

5. Closing streets and alleys, diverting traffic, or 
regulating parking. Traffic flows and patterns at day 
laborer sites often pose problems. Altering traffic patterns 
will make it easy for employers to pick up laborers, and will 
reduce complaints associated with vehicle and pedestrian 
traffic obstructions. Establishing designated laborer-pickup 
zones will also reduce congestion and swarming problems. 
Once traffic procedures are established, it will be necessary 
to ensure that laborers do not interrupt the process by 
approaching employer vehicles outside of designated pickup 
areas. Care should also be taken to ensure that any traffic 
changes do not cause undue harm to area merchants. 

Enforcing Laws 

6. Enforcing laws prohibiting disorder (e.g., trespassing, 
loitering, public intoxication, littering, and vandalism). 

Focused enforcement of disorder-related offenses will address 
some of the commonly found problems associated with day 
laborer sites. Enforcing these laws requires greater manpower 
and time spent monitoring the sites. Enforcement alone will 
not completely stop day laboring or the problems associated 
with it, but it does send a message to laborers that illegal 
behavior is unacceptable. Sanctions for lower-level offenses 
may also serve to remove those problematic laborers who 
might also commit more-serious crimes. 

 Establishing services to facilitate 
laborers use of banking services will 
be particularly relevant for problems 
involving persistent robbery of day 
laborers. 


7. Enforcing laws prohibiting assault and robbery. 

Enforcing laws against assault and robbery will further 
define the boundaries of unacceptable behavior for day 
laborers. Such offenses will tend to be reactive and will 
require witnesses for successful prosecution, unless an officer 
witnesses their occurrence. It will be difficult to develop a 
prosecutable case since other laborers will be reluctant to give 
police information out of fear regarding their immigration 
status. Language deficiencies will also create problems. To 
increase success in enforcing these (and other) laws, assigning 
specific multilingual officers to day labor sites will improve 
communication between police and laborers, which will prove 
valuable in gathering information. 

8. 
Establishing a highly visible police presence. A highly 
visible police presence, typically with extra uniformed officers, 
is intended to discourage illegal conduct by day laborers. It 
may appease area merchants or community members, but 
could also lead people to believe that the area is unsafe. It 
is also costly and will likely have only a temporary effect if 
not followed up with more permanent strategies, such as 
establishing a police substation in the area.21 This could be 
augmented with private security forces. 
9. 
Creating and enforcing ordinances prohibiting the 
solicitation of work in non-designated places. Some 
communities have created city ordinances that prohibit the 
solicitation of work in certain areas.22 These ordinances 
are intended to relocate day laboring to designated places. 
Unless the ordinances are enforced, day laboring will 
continue to occur in places that are convenient for laborers 
and employers, if not for others, even if an authorized day 
labor center is established. Ordinance enforcement must be 
comprehensive and continual. 


10. 
Enhancing fines/penalties for soliciting work 
or hiring workers in non-specified zones. It may be 
necessary to enhance the penalties incurred for violating work 
solicitation in non-designated places. Small fines will likely be 
viewed as an added cost of doing business. Greater fines will 
compel day laborers and employers to use designated zones. 

11. 
Initiating public-awareness campaigns. In 
conjunction with creating non-solicitation ordinances, some 
communities have used publicity campaigns to inform day 
laborers and employers of the new procedures, and to warn 
them about the sanctions if they violate the ordinances.23 
Alerting the participants serves to remove possible excuses for 
violating the ordinances. 

Police and others can distribute fliers and post signs at current 
day-laborer sites. Community service groups as well as area 
merchants and residents can also disseminate information. 
The postings and handouts should be composed in the 
intended audiences native language. Proper notification of the 
new ordinances will reduce negative sentiment resulting from 
subsequent enforcement. 

Responses With Limited Effectiveness 

12. Conducting sweeps and enforcing immigration 
laws. Sweeps are large-scale arrest campaigns targeting 
suspected illegal immigrants at day labor sites, without the 
intent to prosecute. Sweeps have long been a police strategy 
to control visible crime problems (such as street prostitution 
and street drug markets) when they have been pressured to 
do something, but have few resources for dealing with the 
problem. There is little evidence that illegal-immigration 
sweeps are anything other than temporarily effective at solving 
the problem. 


Police agencies should be aware that enforcing immigration 
laws could lead to distrust of the police by illegal immigrants 
in the community. This could deter such immigrants from 
calling for police help when they are legitimately victimized or 
otherwise in need. 

13. Prohibiting day laboring outright. There is no 
evidence that prohibiting day laboring outright is effective 
in the long term. Day laboring serves a need in the informal 
labor market and has existed since early times. De facto 
prohibition of day laboring by creating ordinances against 
soliciting work on public street corners citywide may relocate 
day laboring to other places, but it will not eliminate it or 
associated problems. 


Appendix: Summary of Responses to 
Disorder at Day Laborer Sites 

The table below summarizes the responses to problems 
associated with day laborers, the mechanism by which they 
are intended to work, the conditions under which they ought 
to work best, and some factors you should consider before 
implementing a particular response. It is critical that you tailor 
responses to local circumstances, and that you can justify each 
response based on reliable analysis. In most cases, an effective 
strategy will involve implementing several different responses. 
Law enforcement responses alone are seldom effective in 
reducing or solving the problem. 

Response No. 
Page No. 
Response 
How It Works 
Works Best If 
Considerations 

Managing Day Laboring 

1. 16 
Improving the 
organization 
at current day 
laborer sites 

Promotes orderly 
and lawful 
behavior and 
establishes site 
controls 

the organization 
is efficient and 
addresses laborers' 
and employers' 
needs 

Assumes current 
sites are acceptable 
to area residents 
and merchants 
and land use is 
permitted 

2. 17 
Imposing time 
restrictions 
on day labor 
activities 

Reduces the 
opportunities for 
problem behavior 
to occur 

time restrictions 
are enforced 
and the sites are 
managed during 
designated times 

Can be temporary 
until a day laborer 
center is built, or it 
can be permanent; 
requires routine 
police presence 


Response No. 
Page No. 
Response 
How It Works 
Works Best If 
Considerations 

Managing Day Laboring 

3. 17 
Establishing new 
day labor centers 

Organizes and 
controls the 
location and 
process of day 
laboring 

the design 
is efficient and 
other measures 
are taken to 
ensure it is used 

Expensive; time-
consuming; 
requires ongoing 
oversight and 
management 

3a. 17 
Using volunteers 
to manage day 
labor centers 

Ensures day labor 
centers run and 
are maintained 
properly, and 
provides capable 
guardianship 

volunteers are 
sampled from a 
variety of groups 
to increase the 
"ownership" of 
the centers 

Reduces cost; will 
need continued 
governance by 
someone or some 
entity 

3b. 18 
Soliciting help 
from area 
merchants 

Increases 
ownership of the 
problem 

merchants 
have a vested 
interest in 
addressing the 
problem 

Amount of help 
will vary across 
merchants 

3c. 18 
Obtaining 
grants and other 
financial support 

Eliminates the 
need for tax 
dollars 

a detailed and 
compelling case 
is provided for 
the needed funds 

Use examples of 
successful day 
labor sites; takes 
time and effort to 
prepare proposals 

3d. 18 
Creating and 
enforcing rules 
and procedures at 
day labor centers 
and sites 

Formalizes the 
day- laboring 
process, increases 
efficiency, and 
sets boundaries 

rules are 
clearly defined 
and posted, 
and laborers 
and employers 
participate in 
formulating them 

Requires day 
laborer and 
employer input; will 
require establishing 
sanctions for 
violations 

3e. 19 
Forming 
an advisory 
committee 

Ensures center 
is maintained 
and increases 
ownership 

advisors have 
an interest in and 
can contribute 
to the centers 
success 

Select advisors 
from various 
groups or 
organizations; 
consider incentives 
for participation 


Response No. 
Page No. 
Response 
How It Works 
Works Best If 
Considerations 

4. 19 
Establishing 
supplemental 
programs at day 
labor centers 

Encourages 
law-abiding 
behavior and 
provides access to 
legitimate services 

the provided 
services meet the 
laborers needs 

Increased costs; 
requires additional 
space at the centers 

5. 20 
Closing streets 
and alleys, 
diverting traffic, 
or regulating 
parking 

Decreases traffic 
congestion 
and increases 
employers ability 
to find and 
negotiate with 
laborers 

the affected 
community 
supports the 
changes 

Potentially costly; 
can harm legitimate 
commercial traffic; 
may lock the 
problem in rather 
than forcing it out 
Enforcing Laws 

6. 20 
Enforcing laws 
prohibiting disorder 
(e.g. 
trespassing,
loitering, public 
intoxication, 
littering, and 
vandalism) 

Temporarily 
establishes order 
at day labor sites 

enforcement 
is combined with 
other effective 
responses 

Has only a short-
term impact; may 
displace day labor 
practice to other 
areas 

7. 21 
Enforcing laws 
prohibiting assault 
and robbery 

Temporarily 
establishes order 
at day labor sites, 
and establishes 
police control ofthe area(s) 

a prosecution 
will result in 
meaningfulsanctions 

Will be difficult to 
obtain witnesses for 
a prosecutable case 

8. 21 
Establishing a 
highly visible 
police presence 

Discourages 
unruly or 
unlawful behavior 
among day 
laborers 

it is 
supplementedwith 
environmental 
changes or site 
relocation 

Labor-intensive; 
may create the 
perception that the 
area is unsafe 

9. 21 
Creating and 
enforcing ordinances 
prohibiting the 
solicitation of 
work in non-
designated places 

Displaces day 
labor activities to 
designated sites 

enforcement 
is consistent, and 
the designated 
sites are useful 
and efficient 
for laborers and 
employers 

Requires adoption 
by the city council; 
takes time and may 
not pass due to 
legal concerns 


Response No. 
Page No. 
Response 
How It Works 
Works Best If 
Considerations 

10. 22 
Enhancing fines/
penalties for 
soliciting work 
or hiring workers 
in non-specified 
zones 

Increases the 
incentive to use 
designated day 
labor sites 

the fines are 
high enough 
and collection is 
certain 

New informal day 
labor sites may 
emerge in other 
places convenient 
for laborers and 
employers 

11. 22 
Initiating public- 
awareness 
campaigns 

Informs the 
community of
new rules for day-
laboring activities 
and encourages 
compliance 

police follow 
through with 
enforcing the 
rules and changes 
are made at 
designated day 
labor sites 

Proper dissemination 
will reduce contempt 
for police when 
they enforce the 
law; widespread 
community 
awareness may 
encourage anti-
immigrant views 

Responses With Limited Effectiveness 

12. 22 
Conducting sweeps and 
enforcing immigration laws 

Temporarily 
removes illegal- 
immigrant laborers 
from the area 

Produces distrust 
of the police by 
illegal immigrants 
throughout the 
community 

13. 23 
Prohibiting day 
laboring outright 

Seeks to eliminate 
day labor sites and 
activities citywide 
Ineffective as a 
long-term solution; 
could displace day 
laboring 


Endnotes 

1 Cooper (1999); Bradley (2005); Gorman (2005). 

2 Stamford (Connecticut) Police Department (2000). 

3 Reyes, Johnson, and Swearingen (2002). 

4 Cooper (1999); Cleeland (1999); Valenzuela (2000b). 

5 Valenzuela (1999). 

6 Peck and Theodore (2001); Kerr and Dole (2001); Valenzuela (2003, 2001). 

7 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2001). 

8 Valenzuela (2003). 

9 Cosgrove and Grant (1997); Valenzuela and Melendez (2003); Valenzuela (2003, 
2000b).

10 Theodore (2000). 

11 Valenzuela (2000b). 

12 Valenzuela and Melendez (2003). 

13 Toma and Esbenshade (2001). 

14 Montgomery County (Maryland) Police Department (1995) 

15 Calderon (2003); Calderon, Foster, and Rodriguez (n.d.); Montgomery County 
(Maryland) Police Department (1995); Ruiz (1998); Toma and Esbenshade 
(2001); Kansas City (Missouri) Police Department (2004). 

16 Toma and Esbenshade (2001); Valenzuela (2000a). 

17 Glendale (California) Police Department (1997); Ruiz (1998). 

18 Glendale (California) Police Department (1997); Ruiz (1998). 

19 Calderon (2003). 

20 Calderon (2003); Glendale (California) Police Department (1997); Gorman 
(2005); Ruiz (1998); Toma and Esbenshade (2001). 

21 Montgomery County (Maryland) Police Department (1995). 

22 Glendale (California) Police Department (1997); Ruiz (1998). 

23 Montgomery County (Maryland) Police Department (1995); Glendale (California) 
Police Department (1997); Ruiz (1998). 


References 

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Calderon, J. (2003). Partnership in Teaching and Learning: 
Combining the Practice of Critical Pedagogy With Civic 
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Immigrant Workers: Action Research and Strategies in the Pomona 
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calderon.pdf. 

Cleeland, N. (1999). Many Day Laborers Prefer Their Work 
to Regular Jobs. Times Mirror Company. 

Cooper, M. (1999). Laborers Wanted, but Not Living Next 
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Cosgrove and Grant (1997). National Survey of Municipal Police 
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Glendale Police Department (1997). Day Labor Project: 
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Laborers. Submission for the Herman Goldstein Award 
for Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing. 

Gorman, A. (2005). Day Laborers, Cities Seek a Way That 
Will Work. Los Angeles Times, August 29, p. A1. 

Kansas City (Missouri) Police Department (2004). Westside 
Community Action Network CenterDay Laborer 
Project. Submission for the Herman Goldstein Award for 
Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing. 


Kerr, D., and C. Dole (2001). Challenging Exploitation and Abuse: 
A Study of the Day Labor Industry in Cleveland. Cleveland: Case 
Western Reserve University. 

Larrowe, C. (1955). Shape-Up and Hiring Hall: A Comparison of 
Hiring Methods and Labor Relations on the New York and Seattle 
Waterfronts. Berkeley (California): University of California 
Press. 

Mohl, R. (1971). Poverty in New York, 1783-1825. New York: 
Oxford University Press. 

Montgomery County (Maryland) Police Department (1995). 
Comprehensive Action Plan for the Peerless Property. 
Submission for the Herman Goldstein Award for 
Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing. 

Mund, V. (1948). Open Markets: An Essential to Free Enterprise. 
New York: Harper and Brothers. 

Peck, J., and N. Theodore (2001). Contingent Chicago: 
Restructuring the Spaces of Temporary Labor. International 
Journal of Urban and Regional Research 25(3): 471496. 

Reyes, B., H. Johnson, and R. Swearingen (2002). Holding the 
Line? The Effect of the Recent Border Buildup on Unauthorized 
Immigration. San Francisco: Public Policy Institute of 
California. www.ppic.org/publications/PPIC162/index. 
html. 

Ruiz, J. (1998). Day Laborers and Community All Benefit 
From New Employment Facility. Problem-Solving Quarterly 
11(1):15. 


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Stamford Police Department (2000). Mobile ATM 
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for Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing. 

Theodore, N. (2000). A Fair Days Pay? Homeless Day Laborers 
in Chicago. Chicago: University of Illinois at Chicago, Center 
for Urban Economic Development. 

Toma, R., and J. Esbenshade (2001). Day Laborer Hiring Sites: 
Constructive Approaches to Community Conflict. Los Angeles: Los 
Angeles County Commission on Human Relations. 

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2001). Contingent and 
Alternative Employment Arrangements. February, Technical 
Note. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor. 

Valenzuela, A., Jr. (2003). Day Labor Work. Annual Review 
of Sociology 29(1):307333. 

 (2001). Day Laborers as Entrepreneurs? Journal of 
Ethnic and Migration Studies 27(2):335352. 

 (2000a). Controlling Day Labor: Government, 
Community, and Worker Responses. In D. Mitchell and P. 
Nomura (eds.), California Policy Options 2001 4:4159. Los 
Angeles: UCLA Anderson Business Forecast, School of 
Public Policy Social Research. 

 (2000b). Working on the Margins: Immigrant Day 
Labor Characteristics and Prospects for Employment. 
Working Paper No. 22. La Jolla (California): Center for 
Comparative Immigration Studies, University of California 
at San Diego. 


 (1999). Day Laborers in Southern California: 
Preliminary Findings From the Day Labor Survey. 
Working Paper. Los Angeles: Center for the Study of Urban 
Poverty, Institute of Social Science Research, University of 
California, Los Angeles. 

Valenzuela, A., Jr. and E. Melendez (2003). Day Labor in 
New York: Findings From the NYDL Survey. Working 
Paper. Los Angeles: Center for the Study of Urban 
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About the Author 

Rob T. Guerette 

Rob T. Guerette is an assistant professor in the School 
of Criminal Justice at Florida International University in 
Miami. Together with Ronald Clarke, he recently worked on 
a project with the U.S. Border Patrol that used a situational 
crime-prevention framework to formulate ways to prevent 
deaths among smuggled migrants along the Mexican border. 
In addition, he has worked on projects in collaboration with 
the National Academy of Sciences, the British Home Office 
Research Directorate, and the New Jersey Department of 
Probation and Parole. His research has appeared in the 
Journal of Criminal Justice, Security Journal, Crime Prevention Studies, 
and the European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research. He is 
co-editor of the book Migration, Culture Conflict, Crime, and 
Terrorism (Ashgate Publishing 2006). He currently coordinates 
the annual Herman Goldstein Awards for Excellence in 
Problem-Oriented Policing. Guerette holds a doctorate in 
criminal justice from Rutgers University at Newark, and was a 
fellow at the Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University 
at New Brunswick. 


Recommended Readings 

 
A Police Guide to Surveying Citizens and Their 
Environments, 
Bureau of Justice Assistance, 1993. This 
guide offers a practical introduction for police practitioners 
to two types of surveys that police find useful: surveying 
public opinion and surveying the physical environment. It 
provides guidance on whether and how to conduct cost-
effective surveys. 
 
Assessing Responses to Problems: An 
Introductory Guide for Police Problem-Solvers, 

by John E. Eck (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of 
Community Oriented Policing Services, 2001). This guide 
is a companion to the Problem-Oriented Guides for Police series. 
It provides basic guidance to measuring and assessing 
problem-oriented policing efforts. 

 
Conducting Community Surveys, by Deborah Weisel 
(Bureau of Justice Statistics and Office of Community 
Oriented Policing Services, 1999). This guide, along with 
accompanying computer software, provides practical, basic 
pointers for police in conducting community surveys. The 
document is also available at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs. 
 
Crime Prevention Studies, 
edited by Ronald V. Clarke 
(Criminal Justice Press, 1993, et seq.). This is a series of 
volumes of applied and theoretical research on reducing 
opportunities for crime. Many chapters are evaluations of 
initiatives to reduce specific crime and disorder problems. 


 
Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing:The 
1999 Herman Goldstein Award Winners. This 
document produced by the National Institute of Justice 
in collaboration with the Office of Community Oriented 
Policing Services and the Police Executive Research Forum 
provides detailed reports of the best submissions to the 
annual award program that recognizes exemplary problem-
oriented responses to various community problems. A 
similar publication is available for the award winners from 
subsequent years. The documents are also available at www. 
ojp.usdoj.gov/nij. 
 
Not Rocket Science? Problem-Solving and Crime 
Reduction, 
by Tim Read and Nick Tilley (Home Office 
Crime Reduction Research Series, 2000). Identifies and 
describes the factors that make problem-solving effective 
or ineffective as it is being practiced in police forces in 
England and Wales. 
 
Opportunity Makes the Thief: Practical Theory 
for Crime Prevention, 
by Marcus Felson and Ronald V. 
Clarke (Home Office Police Research Series, Paper No. 98, 
1998). Explains how crime theories such as routine activity 
theory, rational choice theory and crime pattern theory 
have practical implications for the police in their efforts to 
prevent crime. 
 
Problem Analysis in Policing, by Rachel Boba (Police 
Foundation, 2003). Introduces and defines problem analysis 
and provides guidance on how problem analysis can be 
integrated and institutionalized into modern policing 
practices. 


 
Problem-Oriented Policing, by Herman Goldstein 
(McGraw-Hill, 1990, and Temple University Press, 1990). 
Explains the principles and methods of problem-oriented 
policing, provides examples of it in practice, and discusses 
how a police agency can implement the concept. 
 
Problem-Oriented Policing and Crime Prevention, 
by Anthony A. Braga (Criminal Justice Press, 2003). 
Provides a through review of significant policing research 
about problem places, high-activity offenders, and repeat 
victims, with a focus on the applicability of those findings 
to problem-oriented policing. Explains how police 
departments can facilitate problem-oriented policing by 
improving crime analysis, measuring performance, and 
securing productive partnerships. 
 
Problem-Oriented Policing: Reflections on the 
First 20 Years, by Michael S. Scott (U.S. Department of 
Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 
2000). Describes how the most critical elements of 
Herman Goldstein's problem-oriented policing model have 
developed in practice over its 20-year history, and proposes 
future directions for problem-oriented policing. The report 
is also available at www.cops.usdoj.gov. 
 
Problem-Solving: Problem-Oriented Policing in 
Newport News, by John E. Eck and William Spelman 
(Police Executive Research Forum, 1987). Explains the 
rationale behind problem-oriented policing and the 
problem-solving process, and provides examples of 
effective problem-solving in one agency. 


 
Problem-Solving Tips: A Guide to Reducing 
Crime and Disorder Through Problem-Solving 
Partnerships by Karin Schmerler, Matt Perkins, Scott 
Phillips, Tammy Rinehart and Meg Townsend. (U.S. 
Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented 
Policing Services, 1998) (also available at www.cops.usdoj. 
gov). Provides a brief introduction to problem-solving, 
basic information on the SARA model and detailed 
suggestions about the problem-solving process. 
 
Situational Crime Prevention: Successful Case 
Studies, 
Second Edition, edited by Ronald V. Clarke 
(Harrow and Heston, 1997). Explains the principles and 
methods of situational crime prevention, and presents over 
20 case studies of effective crime prevention initiatives. 
 
Tackling Crime and Other Public-Safety Problems: 
Case Studies in Problem-Solving, 
by Rana Sampson 
and Michael S. Scott (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of 
Community Oriented Policing Services, 2000) (also available 
at www.cops.usdoj.gov). Presents case studies of effective 
police problem-solving on 18 types of crime and disorder 
problems. 
 
Using Analysis for Problem-Solving: A Guidebook 
for Law Enforcement, 
by Timothy S. Bynum (U.S. 
Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented 
Policing Services, 2001). Provides an introduction for 
police to analyzing problems within the context of 
problem-oriented policing. 
 
Using Research: A Primer for Law Enforcement 
Managers, 
Second Edition, by John E. Eck and Nancy G. 
LaVigne (Police Executive Research Forum, 1994). Explains 
many of the basics of research as it applies to police 
management and problem-solving. 


Other Problem-Oriented Guides for Police 

Problem-Specific Guides series: 

1. 
Assaults in and Around Bars. Michael S. Scott. 2001. 
ISBN: 1-932582-00-2 
2. 
Street Prostitution. Michael S. Scott. 2001. ISBN: 1-932582-01-0 
3. 
Speeding in Residential Areas. Michael S. Scott. 2001. 
ISBN: 1-932582-02-9 
4. 
Drug Dealing in Privately Owned Apartment Complexes. 
Rana Sampson. 2001. ISBN: 1-932582-03-7 
5. 
False Burglar Alarms. Rana Sampson. 2001. ISBN: 1-932582-04-5 
6. 
Disorderly Youth in Public Places. Michael S. Scott. 2001. 
ISBN: 1-932582-05-3 
7. 
Loud Car Stereos. Michael S. Scott. 2001. ISBN: 1-932582-06-1 
8. 
Robbery at Automated Teller Machines. Michael S. Scott. 2001. 
ISBN: 1-932582-07-X 
9. 
Graffiti. Deborah Lamm Weisel. 2002. ISBN: 1-932582-08-8 
10. 
Thefts of and From Cars in Parking Facilities. Ronald V. 
Clarke. 2002. ISBN: 1-932582-09-6 
11. 
Shoplifting. Ronald V. Clarke. 2002. ISBN: 1-932582-10-X 
12. 
Bullying in Schools. Rana Sampson. 2002. ISBN: 1-932582-11-8 
13. 
Panhandling. Michael S. Scott. 2002. ISBN: 1-932582-12-6 
14. 
Rave Parties. Michael S. Scott. 2002. ISBN: 1-932582-13-4 
15. 
Burglary of Retail Establishments. Ronald V. Clarke. 2002. 
ISBN: 1-932582-14-2 
16. 
Clandestine Drug Labs. Michael S. Scott. 2002. 
ISBN: 1-932582-15-0 
17. 
Acquaintance Rape of College Students. Rana Sampson. 2002. 
ISBN: 1-932582-16-9 
18. 
Burglary of Single-Family Houses. Deborah Lamm Weisel. 
2002. ISBN: 1-932582-17-7 
19. 
Misuse and Abuse of 911. Rana Sampson. 2002. 
ISBN: 1-932582-18-5 
20. 
Financial Crimes Against the Elderly. 

Kelly Dedel Johnson. 2003. ISBN: 1-932582-22-3 


21. 
Check and Card Fraud. Graeme R. Newman. 2003. 
ISBN: 1-932582-27-4 
22. 
Stalking. the National Center for Victims of Crime. 2004. 
ISBN: 1-932582-30-4 
23. 
Gun Violence Among Serious Young Offenders. Anthony A. 
Braga. 2004. ISBN: 1-932582-31-2 
24. 
Prescription Fraud. Julie Wartell and Nancy G. La Vigne. 2004. 
ISBN: 1-932582-33-9 
25. 
Identity Theft. Graeme R. Newman. 2004. ISBN: 1-932582-35-3 
26. 
Crimes Against Tourists. Ronald W. Glensor and Kenneth J. 
Peak. 2004. ISBN: 1-932582-36-3 
27. 
Underage Drinking. Kelly Dedel Johnson. 2004. 
ISBN: 1-932582-39-8 
28. 
Street Racing. Kenneth J. Peak and Ronald W. Glensor. 2004. 
ISBN: 1-932582-42-8 
29. 
Cruising. Kenneth J. Peak and Ronald W. Glensor. 2004. 
ISBN: 1-932582-43-6 
30. 
Disorder at Budget Motels. Karin Schmerler. 2005. 
ISBN: 1-932582-41-X 
31. 
Drug Dealing in Open-Air Markets. Alex Harocopos and Mike 
Hough. 2005. ISBN: 1-932582-45-2 
32. 
Bomb Threats in Schools. Graeme R. Newman. 2005. 
ISBN: 1-932582-46-0 
33. 
Illicit Sexual Activity in Public Places. Kelly Dedel Johnson. 
2005. ISBN: 1-932582-47-9 
34. 
Robbery of Taxi Drivers. Martha J. Smith. 2005. 
ISBN: 1-932582-50-9 
35. 
School Vandalism and Break-Ins. Kelly Dedel Johnson. 2005. 
ISBN: 1-9325802-51-7 
36. 
Drunk Driving. Michael S. Scott, Nina J. Emerson, Louis B. 
Antonacci, and Joel B. Plant. 2005. ISBN: 1-932582-57-6 
37. 
Juvenile Runaways. Kelly Dedel. 2006. ISBN: 1932582-56-8 
38. 
The Exploitation of Trafficked Women. Graeme R. Newman. 
2006. ISBN: 1-932582-59-2 
39. 
Student Party Riots. Tamara D. Madensen and John E. Eck. 2006. 
ISBN: 1-932582-60-6 


40. 
People with Mental Illness. Gary Cordner. 2006. 
ISBN: 1-932582-63-0 
41. 
Child Pornography on the Internet. Richard Wortley 
and Stephen Smallbone. 2006. ISBN: 1-932582-65-7 
42. 
Witness Intimidation. Kelly Dedel. 2006. 
ISBN: 1-932582-67-3 
43. 
Burglary at Single-Family House Construction 
Sites. Rachel Boba and Roberto Santos. 2006. 
ISBN: 1-932582-00-2 
44. 
Disorder at Day Laborer Sites. Rob Guerette. 2006. 
ISBN: 1-932582-72-X 

Response Guides series: 

 
The Benefits and Consequences of Police 
Crackdowns. Michael S. Scott. 2003. ISBN: 1-932582-24-X 
 
Closing Streets and Alleys to Reduce Crime: Should 
You Go Down This Road? Ronald V. Clarke. 2004. 
ISBN: 1-932582-41-X 
 
Crime Prevention Publicity Campaigns. 

Emmanuel Barthe. 2006 ISBN: 1-932582-66-5 

 
Shifting and Sharing Responsibility for Public Safety 
Problems. Michael S. Scott and Herman Goldstein. 
2005. ISBN: 1-932582-55-X 
 
Video Surveillance of Public Places. Jerry Ratcliffe. 
2006 ISBN: 1-932582-58-4 
Problem-Solving Tools series: 

 
Assessing Responses to Problems: An Introductory 
Guide for Police Problem-Solvers. John E. Eck. 2002. 
ISBN: 1-932582-19-3 
 
Researching a Problem. Ronald V. Clarke and Phyllis A. 
Schultz. 2005. ISBN: 1-932582-48-7 


 
Using Offender Interviews to Inform Police Problem 
Solving. Scott H. Decker. 2005. ISBN: 1-932582-49-5 
 
Analyzing Repeat Victimization. Deborah Lamm 
Weisel. 2005. ISBN: 1-932582-54-1 

Upcoming Problem-Oriented Guides for Police 

Problem-Specific Guides 
Abandoned Vehicles 
Bank Robbery 
Bicycle Theft 
Drive-By Shootings 
Crowd Control at Stadiums and Other Entertainment Venues 
Child Abuse 
Crime and Disorder in Parks 
Pedestrian Injuries and Fatalities 
Robbery of Convenience Stores 
Traffic Congestion Around Schools 
Transient Encampments 
Thefts of and From Cars on Residential Streets and 
Driveways 

Problem-Solving Tools 
Designing a Problem Analysis System 
Displacement 
Implementing Responses to Problems 
Understanding Risky Facilities 
Using Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design in 
Problem Solving 
Partnering with Community Developers to Address Public 
Safety Problems 


Response Guides 
Enhancing Lighting 
Sting Operations 

For more information about the Problem-Oriented Guides for 
Police series and other COPS Office publications, please call 
the COPS Office Response Center at 800.421.6770 or visit 
COPS Online at www.cops.usdoj.gov. 


For More InForMatIon: 

U.S. Department of Justice 
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 

1100 Vermont Avenue, N.W. 
Washington, DC 20530 

To obtain details on COPS programs, call the 
COPS Office Response Center at 800.421.6770 

Visit COPS Online at the address listed below. 

e09061311 January 2007 
ISBN: 1-932582-72-X 

www.cops.usdoj.gov