Comparative Analysis between Routine Preventative Uniformed Police Patrols and Crime Reduction and Calls for Service

The majority of the theoretical and empirical literature on police patrols and crime has concentrated on the logical assumption that more uniformed preventative police patrols reduce crime. However, few studies have examined the comparative relationship between more police officers doing preventative patrols in a specific area and crime rates and response to calls for service. The objective of this research was to examine whether more uniformed police officers, doing routine preventative patrols, assigned to an area the size of a small city reduces class one crimes (robbery, residential, and commercial burglary and auto theft). The principal intention of the study was to investigate the comparative relationship between the amount of time uniformed patrol officers spend on routine patrols (patrol time) and the impact on the crimes of robbery, residential burglary, commercial burglary, and auto theft and response times. Personal observations, on the job experience and published literature including books and peer-reviewed journals were analyzed to identify gaps in the literature and assisted this researcher in analyzing the data and reach the conclusions. More uniformed preventative patrol officers generated more patrol time but more patrol time did not reduce robberies, residential burglaries and auto thefts. On the other hand, more patrol time reduced commercial burglaries and significantly reduced response time to non emergency calls for service in the City of Dora1 (Florida). TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDMENTS ABSTRACT LIST OF TABLES CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY Introduction and Background to the Problem Statement of the Problem Crimes of Robberies and Burglaries Budget Issues Statutory Requirements Kansas City Preventative Patrol Experiment Theoretical Literature Empirical Literature on Crime Purpose of the Study Research Questions Research Hypothesis Definition of TermslPolicing Characteristics Organizational Characteristics Patrol Functions Crime Crime Prevention Delimitations and scope Significance of the study CHAPTER 11: LITERATURE REVIEW, THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK, RESEARCH Theoretical Literature Crime Trends Residential/Commercial Burglaries/Robbery/Auto Theft Crime Causation Theories Crime Prevention Defined Uniformed Patrol Tactics and Functions A Shift in Policing Policing Strategies to Reduce Crime Kansas City Preventative Patrol Experiment Conclusion/Significance of Study viii CHAPTER 111: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Questions TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Research Hypotheses Research Design Sampling Plan at Instrumentation Methods of Data Analysis Procedures: Ethical Consideration and Data Evaluation of Ethical Aspects of Study Collection of Data Descriptive Statistics T-Test Evaluation of Research methods Internal Validity External Validity summary CHAPTER IV: RESULTS Data Collection Study Parameters Uniformed Sworn Personnel Area 1 Personnel Assigned Minimum Staffing Patrol Time Crime Response Times Main Analysis Hypotheses Research Question/Patrol Time Comparison Crime Comparison Summary CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION Patrol time Crime Response Times Review General Findings Theoretical Considerations Conclusion Crime Prevention Limitations Future Research Implications Final Thoughts Recommendations Page 77 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) REFERENCES APPENDICES Appendix A: Appendix B: Appendix C: Appendix D: Appendix E: Appendix F: Appendix G: Appendix H: Institutional Review Board Approval and Consent Permission and approval to conduct the study First Public Records Request Second Public Records Request Burglary Crime Statistic Reports Emergency Response time reports Non Emergency Response Time Reports Robbery, Auto theft Statistical Report Page 144