U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

www.cops.usdoj.gov

Partnering With Businesses To 

Address Public Safety Problems

by

Sharon Chamard

Problem-Oriented Guides for Police 

Problem-Solving Tools Series

No. 5
www.PopCenter.org

Got a Problem? We’ve 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

• On-line access to research and police practices

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.

Center for Problem-Oriented Policing
Partnering with 

Businesses to Address 

Public Safety Problems

Sharon Chamard

This project was supported by cooperative agreement 

#2003CKWX0087 by the Office of Community Oriented 

Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions 

contained herein are those of the author and do not necessarily 

represent the official position of the U.S. Department of Justice. 

References to specific companies, products, or services should 

not be considered an endorsement of the product by the author 

or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are 

illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues.

www.cops.usdoj.gov

ISBN: 1-932582-62-2

April 2006

Problem-Oriented Guides for Police

Problem-Solving Tools Series

Guide No. 5

About the Problem-Solving Tools Series 

About the Problem-Solving Tools Series

The problem-solving tool guides are one of three series of 

the Problem-Oriented Guides for Police. The other two are the 

problem-specific guides and response guides. 

The Problem-Oriented Guides for Police summarize knowledge 

about how police can reduce the harm caused by specific 

crime and disorder problems. They are guides to preventing 

problems and improving overall incident response, not 

to investigating offenses or handling specific incidents. 

The guides are written for police—of whatever rank or 

assignment—who must address the specific problems the 

guides cover. The guides will be most useful to officers who:

• understand basic problem-oriented policing principles and 

methods

• can look at problems in depth

• are willing to consider new ways of doing police business

• understand the value and the limits of research knowledge

• are willing to work with other community agencies to find 

effective solutions to problems.

The tool guides summarize knowledge about information 

gathering and analysis techniques that might assist police at 

any of the four main stages of a problem-oriented project: 

scanning, analysis, response, and assessment. Each guide:

• describes the kind of information produced by each 

technique 

• discusses how the information could be useful in problemsolving 

• gives examples of previous uses of the technique

• provides practical guidance about adapting the technique to 

specific problems
ii Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

• provides templates of data collection instruments (where 

appropriate)

• suggests how to analyze data gathered by using the 

technique

• shows how to interpret the information correctly and 

present it effectively

• warns about any ethical problems in using the technique 

• discusses the limitations of the technique when used by 

police in a problem-oriented project

• provides reference sources of more detailed information 

about the technique

• indicates when police should seek expert help in using the 

technique. 

Extensive technical and scientific literature covers each 

technique addressed in the tool guides. The guides aim to 

provide only enough information about each technique to 

enable police and others to use it in the course of problemsolving. In most cases, the information gathered during a 

problem-solving project does not have to withstand rigorous 

scientific scrutiny. Where police need greater confidence in 

the data, they might need expert help in using the technique. 

This can often be found in local university departments of 

sociology, psychology, and criminal justice. 

The information needs for any single project can be quite 

diverse, and it will often be necessary to use a variety of data 

collection techniques to meet those needs. Similarly, a variety 

of analytic techniques may be needed to analyze the data. 

Police and crime analysts may be unfamiliar with some of the 

techniques, but the effort invested in learning to use them can 

make all the difference to the success of a project. 
Acknowledgments iii

Acknowledgments

The Problem-Oriented Guides for Police are very much a 

collaborative effort. 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 principal project team developing the guide series 

comprised Herman Goldstein, professor emeritus, 

University of Wisconsin Law School; Ronald V. Clarke, 

professor of criminal justice, Rutgers University; John E. 

Eck, associate professor of criminal justice, University of 

Cincinnati; Michael S. Scott, assistant clinical professor, 

University of Wisconsin Law School; Rana Sampson, 

police consultant, San Diego; and Deborah Lamm 

Weisel, director of police research, North Carolina State 

University.

Cynthia Pappas oversaw the project for the COPS Office. 

Stephen Lynch edited the guides. Research for the guides 

was conducted at the Criminal Justice Library at Rutgers 

University under the direction of Phyllis Schultze. 

The project team also wishes to acknowledge the members 

of the San Diego, National City and Savannah police 

departments who provided feedback on the guides' format 

and style in the early stages of the project, as well as the 

line police officers, police executives and researchers who 

peer reviewed each guide.

contents

About the Problem-Solving Tools Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i

Acknowledgments....................................................... iii

What This Guide Is About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

What Is Known About Crime Against Business? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Who Are the Victims of Business Crime? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 

How Do Businesses Contribute to Crime? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Merchandise Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Staffing Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Premises Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Product Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Barriers to Business Participation in Crime Prevention Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Belief That the Criminal Justice System Does Not Need Any Help . . . . . . . . 8

Ignorance of the Costs of Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Unwillingness to Accept Social Responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

Practical Concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

How to Encourage Businesses to Help Prevent Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Why Whould Businesses Want to Work With the Police? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Police-Business Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 

Rationale for Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Types of Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Area-Specific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Issue-Specific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Business-Specific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Contents
vi Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

Partnerships With Private Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Steps for Starting a Partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Building Upon Existing Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Key Elements of Successful Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Facilitator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Mission and Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Tangible Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Goodwill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Early Successes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Effective Partnership Strategies and Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Security Upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Targeting Repeart Victimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Strategies of Unknown Effectiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Storefront Substations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Business Police Academies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Business Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Police Inspections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Recommended Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Other Problem-Oriented Guides for Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
What This Guide is About

What This Guide Is About

The annual cost of crime against business is in the billions of 

dollars. Business victimization hurts business owners, employees, 

neighbors, customers, and the public at large. Still, convincing 

businesses of the importance of participating in crime prevention 

partnerships with the police can be challenging.

This guide addresses crime prevention partnerships and related 

issues. It begins by discussing the impact of crime against business 

and the roles businesses play in contributing to crime. Different 

forms of partnerships and strategies for forming partnerships 

are presented and analyzed. Characteristics of good and bad 

partnerships are listed, along with ideas for overcoming barriers 

that may prevent businesses from participating in crime prevention 

partnerships. The guide concludes with examples of business-police 

partnerships and programs, some that are known to be effective and 

others that are still largely untested. 

This guide does not include detailed information about preventing 

specific crimes against business. However, several of the guides in 

the Problem-Oriented Policing Guides series do address particular 

crimes that affect businesses, including the following:

Assaults in and Around Bars

Burglary of Retail Establishments

Check and Card Fraud

Crimes Against Tourists

Disorder at Budget Motels

Disorderly Youth in Public Places

Graffiti

Panhandling

Prescription Fraud

Robbery at Automatic Teller Machines

Robbery of Taxi Drivers

Shoplifting

Street Prostitution

Thefts of and from Cars in Parking Facilities.

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Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

What Is Known About Crime Against 

Business?

Because there has not been a national victimization survey of 

businesses in the United States for over 20 years,1 we do not 

have a clear picture of the extent of crime against business. 

However, small-scale studies and research from other 

countries suggest that such crimes are a serious problem.

In 2003, business targets such as commercial houses, 

banks, gas and service stations, and convenience stores 

suffered over 100,000 robberies, compared to 60,000 for 

residential locations. About one-quarter of all robberies, 

including street robberies, occurred in businesses. Over 

one-third of all burglaries occurred in non-residences.2 

The actual rates of business crime are much higher than 

these numbers suggest, because there are fewer businesses 

than there are residences.

A British study of small businesses found that nearly twothirds had suffered some form of criminal victimization 

over a five-year span. Theft and vandalism were the most 

common crimes. The most vulnerable industries were 

hotel and catering, construction, and retail.3 

Businesses suffer disproportionately from crime in 

comparison to households and individuals. For example, 

a British national survey found that only 4 percent of 

households were burglarized in 1993, compared to 24 

percent of retail premises.4 Cross-national surveys suggest 

that retail businesses may have an overall burglary risk 

that is 10 times greater than the risk faced by households.5

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What is Known About Crime Against Business?

§ Although this section focuses on 

the costs of crime against business, it is important to remember 

that some businesses benefit when 

other businesses are victimized. For 

example, commercial entities that 

provide target-hardening devices 

and security services reap their 

profits from business crime, as do 

those manufacturers, retailers, and 

shippers who benefit when a stolen 

item is replaced with a new one.

Many businesses suffer from revictimization. In one 

town in England, 40 percent of businesses that were 

burglarized were victimized again within one year. Of this 

group, 49 percent were burglarized a second time, and 57 

percent of the latter group were burglarized at least one 

additional time, again within a one-year period.6 

The typical business loses close to 6 percent of its 

yearly revenue to fraud. Small businesses are particularly 

vulnerable: those with fewer than 100 employees suffer 

median losses of $98,000 a year.7

Goods and services are priced 15 percent higher to make 

up for business losses from theft.8 

Business crime costs the U.S. economy at least $186 

billion annually.9 

Who Are the Victims of Business Crime?§

There are four immediate victims of crimes against business: 

businesses themselves, their employees, their customers, 

and the public. But because businesses are parts of their 

communities, business crime affects the community as much 

as crime in the community affects businesses. Thus, other 

stakeholders are affected as well: shareholders, management, 

suppliers and vendors, neighboring residents, and nearby 

businesses. 

The cost of crime threatens the viability of businesses by 

increasing expenses in a number of ways. For example, money 

might be spent repairing damage caused by vandals, or on 

security devices, such as mirrors, closed circuit television, 

and alarm systems. Insurance premiums can be increased.10

It can be harder to hire and retain staff, leading to increased 

recruiting expenses or higher wages.11 If fear of victimization 

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Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

causes customers to stop frequenting the business, sales will 

drop. All of these factors, in addition to direct losses from 

theft, can result in lower profits. This can be devastating, 

particularly to small businesses or to those operating on slim 

profit margins. 

If the viability of a business is compromised due to the costs 

associated with crime, employee hours may be cut to reduce 

expenses. In addition, employees who work in businesses with 

crime problems are at risk of violence in the workplace; at the 

very least they are more likely to experience fear on the job. 

Employees of victimized businesses reportedly suffer many 

of the same damaging psychological effects that residents 

experience when their homes are burglarized.12 

The cost of business crime is often passed on to customers in 

the form of higher prices, reduced operating hours, or even 

relocation of the business to a safer area. In addition, certain 

crime prevention measures, such as security guards, targethardening, and closed circuit television, can make customers 

feel as though they are shopping in a hostile environment or 

are being treated as suspected thieves. 

Businesses play an important role in community stability by 

providing goods, services, and employment opportunities. A 

thriving business community is indicative of a strong local 

economy and a good quality of life. Businesses also contribute 

to social cohesion by providing places for area residents 

to interact casually.13 When businesses relocate, close, or 

reduce their hours because of crime, neighborhoods can be 

substantially impacted. Business relocation can also negatively 

affect residential property values, because not only does 

proximity to a blighted area make adjacent properties less 

attractive to potential buyers, but landlords may have difficulty 

finding tenants if goods and services are not located nearby 

or if the social environment creates a sense of fear among 

community residents. 
What is Known About Crime Against Business?

In addition to local effects, crime against business exacts a 

cost from the general public. Besides the obvious cost of the 

resources needed to investigate and prosecute such crime, 

there are a variety of less obvious drains on public resources. 

For example, individuals who become unemployed when 

businesses close or who are unable to find work due to poor 

economic conditions in their communities can become a 

burden on the system, as they often do not pay taxes and 

sometimes even receive subsidies from the government. In 

addition, failed businesses do not contribute to the public weal 

in the form of sales or income taxes. And reduced property 

values around blighted commercial areas can lead to lower 

assessments, and hence, lower taxes and revenues. 

How Do Businesses Contribute to Crime?

Like most other types of crime, business victimization is 

not spread randomly across all potential targets. Rather, 

it is concentrated in certain sectors of the economy; even 

within certain classes of business there are wide variations 

in victimization rates. For example, a study of budget motels 

in Chula Vista, California found that the annual rate of calls 

for service per room ranged from a low of 0.25 to a high of 

over 11.14 Similarly, a study of victimization in Britain found 

that 2 percent of retail premises suffered 25 percent of all 

retail burglaries in 1993, meaning that certain locations were 

victimized considerably more frequently than others.15 

Commercial areas are full of criminal targets: goods to be 

shoplifted, cars to be broken into, purses and wallets to be 

grabbed, and employees to be robbed. Still, many businesses 

do not seem particularly concerned that their methods of 

operation can actually cause crime—not only inside their 

establishments, but in neighboring areas as well. Businesses do 

not operate in a vacuum; they are parts of their communities. 

There is much they can do to reduce the situational conditions 

that create opportunities for crime. 
§ More information about how 

merchandise displays and store 

layouts can affect the risk of 

shoplifting can be found in the 

Shoplifting POP guide.

§§ Sweet-hearting means giving 

unauthorized discounts or free items 

to friends or family.

§§§ More information about 

how burglary risk is affected by 

external security can be found in the 

Burglary of Retail Establishments

POP guide.

Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

Merchandise Display §

Consumers like to be able to touch items, to pick them up, to 

imagine using them. Accordingly, retailers frequently arrange 

their stores to allow customers easy access to merchandise. 

But encouraging purchases also encourages shoplifting. For 

example, small items placed near cash registers and check-out 

lines can be easily slipped into a dishonest customer’s pocket. 

Products placed near open doorways or on the sidewalk 

outside provide opportunities for thieves to grab something 

and run away. By creating an environment that generates sales, 

businesses also create an environment that contributes to 

crime.

Staffing Practices

Businesses that keep their staffing levels low can be vulnerable 

to crime in two ways. First, fewer staff means less supervision 

of customers and higher levels of shoplifting. Second, 

fewer staff typically means more autonomy for employees, 

which can result in higher levels of employee theft, from 

outright stealing to sweet-hearting§§ and time theft. Although 

understandable, the desire to run an efficient operation by 

minimizing staffing expenses can lead to poorly supervised 

settings with inadequate surveillance. 

Premises Security §§§

Commercial areas are often bustling with people shopping, 

waiting for buses, or chatting with neighbors. Such activities 

can provide good cover for those engaged in illegal activities. 

In high-crime areas, businesses must be especially vigilant, 

lest their premises be used to facilitate criminal activities. 

Businesses that allow vagrants, prostitutes, or drug dealers 

to loiter or to use their facilities—even if they are making 
What is Known About Crime Against Business?

purchases or otherwise behaving as legitimate customers—

make it easier for these sorts of people to operate. This is 

especially true at night, when the failure to provide adequate 

lighting or surveillance in parking lots can encourage 

transactions between prostitutes or drug dealers and their 

clients and can make it easier for predatory criminals to 

victimize legitimate customers. 

Product Design §

Businesses also contribute to crime because of the products 

they manufacture and sell. Often, the victims of these crimes 

are not the businesses themselves, but customers who are 

hapless enough to buy goods that are both attractive to 

thieves and designed so that they are easy to steal. People can 

also be victimized by those who use products in a harmful 

way; an example of this is alcohol-related crime. At issue is 

whether businesses have any responsibility in these matters; 

that is, under what circumstances should businesses be 

expected to share the burden of crime prevention? It can be 

argued that if a product or service somehow contributes to 

a particular type of crime and the seller can do something 

to reduce the incidence of that crime, then the seller should 

be expected to do so. This is not always clear however, 

because in some situations there is no way for the business to 

know the intended use of the product it sells. For example, 

a kitchen knife can be used in a stabbing, but it may be 

unreasonable to hold a seller liable when the knife is used in 

such a manner.16

§ Designing products that are 

crime-resistant and the role of 

the corporate sector in preventing 

crime are discussed in Clarke and 

Newman (2005).
Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

Barriers to Business Participation in 

Crime Prevention Partnerships

Belief That the Criminal Justice System Does Not 

Need Any Help 

Business owners may be reluctant to work with the police on 

crime issues, either because they believe that police cannot 

do much about the problem, or, conversely, because they 

believe that the police are already effectively dealing with it.17 

Like the rest of the public, business owners may also believe 

that certain approaches to dealing with crime work best: a 

greater police presence, through stepped-up patrols perhaps, 

or increased penalties for offenders.18 It is vital that business 

owners understand that the criminal justice system alone 

cannot handle the crime problem and that they too must 

make efforts to prevent crime. Although many individuals are 

willing to accept the notion of self-protection, businesses are 

lagging behind.19 This is especially important because some 

preventive measures can only be implemented by businesses 

themselves, such as those related to product design and 

methods of providing services.20 

Ignorance of the Costs of Crime

It can be a challenge to convince owners that crime is more 

than just another cost of doing business. Many business 

owners are ignorant of the consequences of crime. Few 

business schools offer curricula relating to crime or crime 

prevention, beyond fraud detection in accounting courses.21 

Business owners may believe that they have a low risk of 

victimization and that any losses they suffer will be covered 

by insurance. Expending extra resources on crime prevention 

activities might not be considered cost-effective. Even 

businesses without insurance coverage may be unwilling or 

unable to spend on crime prevention.22 
Barriers to Business Participation in Crime Prevention Partnerships

Unwillingness to Accept Social Responsibility

Once businesses understand the direct impact that crime has 

on their viability and profitability, they should have a strong 

motivation to try to prevent their own victimization. But 

convincing businesses that they have a social responsibility 

to reduce opportunities for crime can be problematic, 

especially if the crime does not affect them directly. Some 

business owners may not fully understand how their practices 

contribute to crime, and even those who acknowledge their 

role in crime generation might not be convinced that it is 

in their best interests to work with the police to address the 

problem. 

How you respond to these business owners depends both 

on the depth of their ignorance and the level of their 

denial of responsibility. The amount of pressure needed to 

achieve cooperation can range from gentle suggestions and 

encouragement to more punitive and even legal actions.23 

Your goal is to encourage businesses to accept some of the 

responsibility for addressing the problem and to take some of 

the burden for solving it off of the shoulders of the police. 

Practical Concerns

Beyond the need to convince businesses of the costs of crime 

and of their responsibility for preventing it, there are more 

mundane logistical issues that can serve to prevent businesses 

from becoming involved in partnerships with police.

Some businesses think that police can do nothing to 

help them.24 It is up to police to demonstrate new and 

different strategies that will cause such businesses to 

reassess their opinions about police effectiveness. 

•
10 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

Businesses with small staffs that work long hours may 

find it difficult to devote time and energy to crime 

prevention.25 Involving these businesses will require a 

great deal of outreach, such as frequent visits to pass on 

information and to remind staff of their importance to 

the success of the partnership. 

Some businesses have concerns about working with other 

businesses, particularly their competitors.26 Research 

indicates that this hesitancy can be overcome once it 

becomes clear that the benefits of crime prevention 

outweigh the risks of cooperation.27 

In areas with a high business turnover,28 it can be difficult 

to maintain continuity in the partnership. Whether this 

is important depends upon the type of partnership 

you want to establish. Issue-specific partnerships can 

be established and disbanded fairly quickly, whereas 

entrenched institutional partnerships are threatened by 

business turnover.

Financial viability is a primary concern of all businesses 

and must be recognized as a legitimate issue. You should 

be sensitive to this; do not assume that businesses will 

want to get involved merely out of a sense of social 

responsibility. For this reason, partnerships that address 

crime issues that directly affect businesses will likely have 

greater participation.29 

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How to Encourage Businesses to Help Prevent Crime 11

How to Encourage Businesses to Help 

Prevent Crime

The first step in encouraging business owners to engage 

in crime prevention activities is educating them about the 

actual costs of crime, both to themselves and to the public. 

Statistics on the scope of the problem are a good place to 

start, especially if they are specific to the type of business at 

hand. To ensure the commitment of the potential partner, it 

may even be necessary to present information and statistics 

that are specific to the individual business. For example, if 

a business is being repeatedly victimized, you might show 

the owner call for service data demonstrating that it is being 

victimized more frequently than its neighbors and explain 

how these disproportionate losses can affect its ability to 

compete in the marketplace. Or you might describe how much 

it costs the business to deal with a single burglary incident or 

shoplifting arrest, both in terms of the actual material loss 

and the time spent filing insurance claims, making statements 

to police, testifying in court, and so on. Other businesses 

might also be spurred into action if they are instructed on the 

specifics of crime prevention.30 

Providing information about the victimization problem or 

the means of preventing it may not be enough to ensure 

cooperation. You might have to apply more pressure by 

asking the business directly—either informally or more 

confrontationally—to take action to reduce its creation of 

criminal opportunities.31 If the business is a franchise or 

has other external management, moving up the chain of 

command might convince the local business to cooperate. 

Before doing so, however, make sure you have enough data 

and information to show why the owner should change 
practices. If the proposed changes are inconvenient or 

expensive, you must be able to demonstrate convincingly the 

connection between the business and the crime problem. One 

way is through the use of case studies illustrating how similar 

businesses have benefited from crime prevention.§ Other 

guides in this series focus on specific crimes against business 

and give examples of effective crime prevention strategies. 

If this approach fails, it can be worthwhile to bring in other 

agencies to help deal with the problem.32 For example, 

liquor control boards can be asked to use their authority to 

encourage bar and liquor store owners to make changes that 

reduce criminal opportunities. Businesses that keep unsightly 

and trash-strewn premises that give rise to nuisance and public 

disorder problems can be brought into line by environmental 

agencies or municipal code enforcement officers.33 

A good reputation is worth a lot to a business. Threatening to 

damage a good reputation by publicizing the owner’s failure 

to accept responsibility for a crime problem or her refusal 

to cooperate with reasonable police requests can be a potent 

tool. Because this approach is potentially so destructive, it is 

best used only when other methods have failed.34 

12 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

§ Thanks to an anonymous 

reviewer for this suggestion.
How to Encourage Businesses to Help Prevent Crime 13

Why Would Businesses Want to Work With the 

Police?

There are many reasons for businesses to work in partnership 

with the police. First, their association with governmental 

agencies and other businesses will allow them access to a 

broader set of resources than they would have otherwise. 

Second, even if a particular business does not have a serious 

victimization problem, it can still benefit from a reduction 

in the local crime rate. Third, some of the most promising 

methods for dealing with business crime call for strategies that 

are beyond the capabilities of individual businesses or even 

small groups of businesses.35 Fourth, few business owners 

know enough about crime prevention to design effective and 

efficient strategies on their own. Some may even think that 

common sense tactics—which might not work in all situations 

and can in fact have unintended consequences—are the best 

solutions.36 An example of this is enhanced lighting. Although 

in some circumstances enhanced lighting can prevent crime 

by making it harder for offenders to hide in the dark and 

victimize passersby, in other circumstances it can increase 

crime by making it easier for criminals to see what they are 

doing.§ Fifth, businesses lack the data needed to determine the 

effectiveness of any given crime prevention strategy.37 Finally, 

association with a crime prevention initiative allows businesses 

to promote themselves and to show that they are different 

from their competitors. This can lead to improved relations 

with persons in government and to increased customer 

loyalty.38 

§ For reviews of the literature on 

the uncertain relationship between 

lighting and crime, see Pease (1999) 

and Farrington and Welsh (2002).
14 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

Police-Business Partnerships

Rationale for Partnerships

Community policing efforts often involve increasing policebusiness communication for the purpose of developing a 

positive relationship with the business community; these 

efforts can go as far as the establishment of a formal 

partnership. Many of these partnerships are initiated because 

of a general sense that they should be in place, rather than in 

response to a particular problem. Before establishing a policebusiness partnership, you should decide what its purpose will 

be. Forming partnerships merely for the sake of being able 

to say that you have a good relationship with the business 

community might well be a waste of time and resources. And 

in fact, such partnerships are likely to fail, as they lack a clear 

focus. It is far better to have a particular problem that needs 

to be addressed before setting out to form a partnership. 

Types of Partnerships

Partnerships between police and business can take a variety of 

forms. In the simplest form, an individual business works with 

police to address a specific problem faced by that business. 

In this type of partnership, police can provide guidance on 

security systems, target-hardening, robbery prevention, and 

the like. For example, police in Chesterfield County, Virginia 

review building plans and give business owners advice on 

low-cost crime prevention through environmental design 

principles.39 Or, police can work with retailers to prevent 

shoplifting by estimating the cost of measures such as security 

guards or closed circuit television and then demonstrating 

how these expenses can be recovered through the avoidance 

of the losses that would have otherwise been incurred.40 
Police-Business Partnerships 15

Although useful for the individual business, such strategies 

do little to address the underlying problems and behaviors 

that give rise to larger business crime issues. Multiagency 

partnerships are a more promising approach to addressing 

these issues. Such partnerships can take three different forms: 

area-specific, business-specific, and issue-specific.41 

Area-Specific

Area-specific partnerships include businesses from a particular 

geographic location, such as a downtown core, an industrial 

park, or a shopping district. This type of partnership makes 

sense where a number of businesses are affected by a 

problem that is restricted to a certain area, such as thefts from 

a mall parking lot or rowdy youth in a downtown area. 

Business improvement districts (BIDs) are an example of this 

form of partnership.§ BIDs comprise property and business 

owners who voluntarily pay a special assessment in addition to 

their regular taxes. The extra funds are spent on beautification, 

security, marketing, or whatever else the membership decides 

is needed to enhance the viability of the area.§§ Typical aims 

include raising the standards of public spaces; reducing crime, 

social disorder, and the fear of victimization; improving 

public transportation; generating sales and revenues for area 

businesses; and increasing the number of local jobs.42 

There are an estimated 2,000 BIDs in the United States.43 

Although their effectiveness with respect to crime prevention 

has not been well studied, anecdotal evidence suggests that 

the strategy holds promise. For example, BID security patrols 

reportedly helped reduce crime in New York City’s Grand 

Central Station by 60 percent.44 After a BID was formed 

in the downtown area of Columbia, South Carolina, overall 

crime declined by 25 percent, citations for public drinking 

dropped by 90 percent, and car break-ins were halved.45 Police 

§ Partnerships similar to BIDs 

are known as “town centre 

management” schemes in the 

United Kingdom. 

§§ A BID in Anchorage, Alaska 

devised a solution to minimize 

the negative impact of homeless 

inebriates on downtown businesses 

and to prevent deaths due to 

exposure. The Downtown 

Partnership pays for a number of 

vans, staffed by emergency medical 

technicians, which respond to callsfor-service and also patrol areas 

frequented by street inebriates. 

The Community Service Patrol 

picks up people who are perilously 

intoxicated and transports them to 

a sleep-off facility, thus lessening 

the burden on police and ambulance 

services. 
16 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

participation in BIDs can take the form of membership on 

steering groups or boards,46 information sharing with BID 

employees,47 and aid in training security personnel.48

Agreements among local businesses to pool the costs of 

security have met with mixed success. On the one hand, 

BIDs that seem to be effective are highly organized and often 

structured according to local legislation. Informal cooperative 

efforts, on the other hand, which are characterized by 

“gentlemen’s agreements” to share costs, may be difficult to 

sustain over the long term.49 

In the Netherlands, Public-Private Partnership projects have 

been very successful in reducing property crime in industrial 

parks. In one example, incidents declined by nearly 75 percent 

after police convinced local businesses to share the costs 

of private security. The individual cost was determined by a 

point system that quantified the size of the business and the 

attractiveness of its products to offenders. Police also trained 

a group of unemployed people as security guards; after a year, 

responsibility for this aspect of the project was shifted to a 

private security firm.50 

Issue-Specific

Issue-specific partnerships focus on a certain type of crime or 

a particular situation, most commonly a public order problem 

that has reached the point where intervention is needed. This 

form of partnership need not last once the specific problem 

is solved. Because they may be short-lived, such partnerships 

may not need to be formal or institutionalized. 

Public drinking and related problems have been addressed 

using issue-specific partnerships in a number of 

jurisdictions.51 In Surfers Paradise in southern Queensland, 

Australia, police partnered with other government agencies, 
Police-Business Partnerships 17

elected officials, the Chamber of Commerce, community 

members, and the liquor licensing authority to reduce 

alcohol-related crime, violence and disorder around licensed 

establishments in the central business district. A steering 

committee was created, a project officer was appointed, and 

a community forum was held, after which a number of task 

groups were formed. Interventions developed by these task 

groups included Model House Policies for each establishment, 

a Code of Practice, and training for liquor service staff in 

areas such as responsible beverage service, care of patrons, 

and crowd control techniques. Licensees were involved in the 

problem-solving process, and generally complied with these 

changes. The result was a significant reduction in assaults and 

disorderly behavior.52 

Business-Specific

Business-specific partnerships are often formed in response to 

a rash of crimes that target a particular type of business, such 

as bank or convenience store robberies; others are formed to 

address a specific chronic problem. In Britain, for example, 

the Secured Car Parks initiative encourages parking lot and 

garage operators to adopt active management strategies to 

minimize crime in their facilities. It is in operation in more 

than 1,000 parking garages and on average has reduced 

vehicle crimes by up to 70 percent.53 In Tukwila, Washington, 

the police work with hotels and motels to train employees 

and conduct safety inspections. The more calls-for-service 

an establishment has, the more it is compelled by ordinance 

to engage in these activities.§,54 The Taxi/Livery Robbery 

Inspection Program in New York City is an arrangement 

between the police department and taxi owners that allows 

police to stop taxis without probable cause or reasonable 

suspicion, and then to make brief inquiries and conduct visual 

inspections. Participating taxi owners and drivers sign consent 

forms, and decals of participation are prominently placed 

where customers will see them.55 

§ For more information, see the 

Problem-Oriented Policing Guide 

Disorder at Budget Motels. The Tukwila 

ordinance is available at http://www.

mrsc.org/Ords/T8o1918.aspx.
18 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

Partnerships With Private Security

Although figures on the private security industry are 

imprecise, estimates are that there are currently about two 

million private security personnel in the United States, 

working for close to 90,000 individual security companies. 

Some believe that these security personnel protect about 85 

percent of the nation’s critical infrastructure. However, only 

5 to 10 percent of police departments are believed to have 

partnerships with private security.56 

There is great diversity within the private security field, 

including corporate security departments, uniformed 

guard companies, alarm companies, armored car agencies, 

investigative firms, and security equipment manufacturers. 

Accordingly, there is much that a partnership with private 

security can offer to the police, from information about 

particular crimes to access to specialized knowledge and 

technology.57 Private security can also benefit from such 

partnerships, because police have legal powers beyond those 

of private security, and in most cases, have more extensive 

training as well.58 

The activities undertaken by a partnership between police 

and private security can include networking, information 

and resource sharing, training, operations, and writing model 

legislation. With respect to specific crime prevention activities, 

such a partnership can provide joint security in BIDs or 

can undertake joint efforts on specific concerns relating to 

business crime, such as check fraud, false alarms, and so on.59 
Police-Business Partnerships 19

Steps for Starting a Partnership§ 

1. Identify key agencies or businesses that should be in the partnership.

Besides police and businesses, partnerships can also include 

other stakeholders—those who have an identifiable interest or 

stake in the outcome and can bring something useful to the 

partnership and its efforts. Examples of possible stakeholders 

are social service agencies, schools, religious and faith-based 

organizations, government agencies, and community groups. 

Obviously, the membership will depend on the nature of 

the problem. Keep in mind that the greater the number of 

partners, the harder it will be to organize activities or even 

to get everyone in the same room at the same time. It will 

also be more difficult to decide on goals and strategies and 

to maintain communication and cooperation. For this reason, 

it is probably better to form a partnership with a core group 

of stakeholders and to invite others to join as the partnership 

solidifies and other needs arise. 

§ The general outline for this section 

is taken from Institute for Law and 

Justice (2000). 

 HOW TO REACH OUT TO BUSINESSES

One of the earliest steps in any partnership is identifying the particular 

businesses that should be involved. In the case of area-specific partnerships, 

this is fairly straightforward. If the area is small, you can contact business 

owners and employees by visiting each location. For larger areas, initial contact 

can occur through the mail. Before this can be done, however, a reliable listing 

of businesses is needed—and such lists can be surprisingly difficult to obtain. 

If you use governmental listings of business licenses, you risk excluding 

unlicensed enterprises, which may be at a higher risk of victimization due to 

their somewhat hidden operations. Lists from chambers of commerce and 

similar organizations typically include only those businesses that have paid a 

membership fee. Telephone books are particularly unreliable, as many small 
20 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

commercial enterprises do not pay for business listing in the Yellow Pages. 

Some areas have BIDs or other similar business organizations already in 

place; but here too, keep in mind that such entities may not include all the 

businesses in a particular area. Therefore, it may be necessary to develop a list 

of businesses in-house, either by pooling the knowledge of local patrol officers 

or by conducting a systematic census of the area. The latter is something beat 

officers can do during their regular patrols. 

For business-specific partnerships, a good place to start is with organizations 

that serve a particular industry, such as an association of retail merchants, 

bankers, or bar and tavern owners. However, such trade groups may not be 

helpful in identifying smaller businesses or those from less well-regulated 

industries. For example, in the United States, the National Association of 

Convenience Stores represents the convenience store and petroleum marketing 

industry. The majority of members, however, are franchises or national chain 

stores; many smaller retail operations, such as bodegas and mom-and-pop 

stores, do not belong to the national association. Local unions are another 

source that can assist in identifying potential partners. 

The players in issue-specific partnerships are comparatively easy to identify. 

Looking at call-for-service data will show which businesses are being repeatedly 

victimized. However, using police data is not without its problems. For example, 

businesses may be listed in one case by the name and in another by the address. 

In addition, not all crimes are reported to the police, so call-for-service data 

do not necessarily give an accurate picture of the nature and extent of crime 

against business. Officers who work intensively in an area can be a valuable 

resource, because they may hear informally of unreported crimes and thus may 

be able to identify businesses that have been victimized by particular crimes. 
2. Make contact with the potential partners. Although initial 

partnership contacts can be informal, they should be with 

individuals who have decision-making authority. Informational 

sessions and meetings are likely to be ineffective, because 

those who attend will likely already be convinced of the need 

for a police-business partnership. A better approach is to 

target an opinion leader in the business community and to 

encourage that person to promote the partnership. Personal 

visits with potential partners are also important. Brochures, 

pamphlets, and other materials that describe the problem 

to be addressed and explain the nature of the potential 

partnership can be distributed during such visits. 

3. Agree on a purpose for the partnership. Obviously, this will 

be related to the problem at hand and the nature of the 

partnership. Partnerships can be formed on a short-term basis 

to address one particular problem or can be organized with a 

more distant goal in mind. In the latter case, tackling a small 

problem early in the process can establish a record of success 

that encourages ongoing participation. 

4. Structure the partnership. Like all organizations, partnerships 

entail a host of logistical problems. For example, where 

and how often will meetings be held? How formal will the 

meetings be and who will run them? Where will partnership 

mail be received? Will the partnership have a physical home, 

and if so, where? What information will be shared with 

partnership members? Many of these issues can be addressed 

informally, particularly in small partnerships that are designed 

to address one problem. However, if you plan to keep the 

group functioning independently of a specific problem, a 

formal structure, specified in memoranda of understanding or 

bylaws, is better for the long-term viability of the partnership.

Police-Business Partnerships 21
22 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

5. Train the partners. A useful method for solving problems is 

the SARA approach. SARA stands for Scanning, Analysis, 

Response, and Assessment. This approach is at the heart of 

problem-oriented policing. The partnership will have been 

formed with some problem in mind, but using the SARA 

process will allow you to be more specific about the nature of 

the problem and what is contributing to it. This will lead you 

to identify solutions that focus tightly on the problem, and to 

determine whether what the partnership did to address the 

problem worked. Training in the essentials of SARA should 

happen at the very early stages of the partnership. 

 

6. Decide on a plan of action. If you know which problems will 

be specifically addressed by the partnership, this is the time 

to spell out the responsibilities and activities of the different 

partners. To keep partners involved in the process, assign 

them specific tasks to be completed by the next meeting. 

7. Assess the effectiveness of your plan of action. Did the partnership 

achieve its goals? Another guide in this series, Assessing 

Responses to Problems: An Introductory Guide for Police ProblemSolvers, can be a useful analytical tool.

8. Discuss the future of the partnership. You can continue working 

towards the original goal, identify new problems that need to 

be addressed and determine a plan of action for dealing with 

it, or dissolve the group.
Police-Business Partnerships 23

Building Upon Existing Networks

There may be business networks in place, such as BIDs or 

chambers of commerce, that you can build upon in creating 

a partnership. There are several advantages to this approach. 

First, the existing network will provide a ready forum to 

introduce the police personnel involved in the problemsolving effort, to discuss the problem of crime in the area 

or among a particular business sector, and to develop ideas 

and solutions. Second, working through an existing network 

can lend legitimacy to partnership activities—assuming 

that the network is favorably viewed by target businesses. 

Third, resources that would otherwise have been expended 

identifying potential partners and organizing the partnership 

can be applied directly toward the problem-solving process.60 

Using existing networks also has a downside. Some groups 

require members to pay dues, which could very well prevent 

smaller businesses from joining—the very businesses that 

are often disproportionately affected by crime. In addition, if 

the network does not represent certain business sectors, the 

most appropriate crime prevention measures might not be 

implemented. For example, in order to address the problems 

associated with rowdy behavior by drunken bar patrons at 

closing time, it only makes sense to build upon an existing 

business network that includes many or most of the local bars 

and taverns. If the majority of members are liquor retailers, 

the group will likely not be much help in designing an 

effective remedial strategy. In addition, where many targeted 

businesses are not members of the network, building upon 

the network may alienate those businesses, particularly if there 

is a history of conflict between members and non-members. 

Finally, there is always the possibility that the network’s 

other priorities will derail or otherwise influence the crime 

prevention effort, especially where there is too much reliance 

on the group and its resources.61
Key Elements of Successful Partnerships§

Leadership

The top executives of the participating partners must support 

the partnership, even if they are not personally involved 

in the activities of the group. Where subordinates are the 

primary representatives, they should have ready access to their 

superiors. It is also important for those who are leading the 

partnership to maintain interest in the group’s activities.

Facilitator

In the early stages of a partnership, it is important to have a 

committed person who will do the difficult work required to 

secure the cooperation of other partners. 

Structure

Although an informal structure can work initially, a more 

formal organization will eventually be needed to ensure 

that the partnership does not disintegrate due to changes in 

personnel (e.g., if the facilitator leaves) or other unforeseen 

circumstances. Memoranda of agreement or understanding 

can help establish a formal structure and solidify the goals 

and commitments of the various partners.

Resources

Partnerships need supplies to support group activities 

and to ensure good communication among the partners. 

Possible funding sources include corporate sponsorship and 

donations from member businesses and police agencies. Not 

surprisingly, a lack of resources and funding, particularly in 

the form of support staff, can make it difficult to keep a 

partnership going very long.

24 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

§ This list of key elements is taken 

from Institute for Law and Justice 

(2000). Another useful resource is 

the COPS Collaboration Toolkit, 

which discusses in detail how to 

build, fix, and sustain partnerships 

to help implement community 

policing (Rinehart et al. 2001).
Police-Business Partnerships 25

Mission and Goals 

The partnership must have a clear purpose in order to 

motivate people to get involved. Moreover, the mission 

should be achievable, because if people think the goal is 

unrealistic they may see little benefit in working towards it.

Tangible Results

Progress towards achieving the goals of the partnership 

will become evident when the group moves beyond mere 

organizational activities and begins producing tangible results. 

In the long run, of course, determining what constitutes 

“success” is up to the group; success can, however, be 

measured using a variety of more objective performance 

indicators.§ Remember: if partners are repeatedly subjected 

to boring meetings, or if it seems as though nothing is being 

accomplished, interest will diminish and members may 

disengage. 

Goodwill

Maintaining positive relationships among partnership 

members can be complicated by a variety of issues, such 

as competing interests or concerns about confidentiality. 

Educating partners about the operation and realities of 

member businesses can build respect and trust. For example, 

police who are frustrated by the reluctance of business 

owners to aid in the prosecution of employee thieves or 

shoplifters might benefit from knowing that this reluctance 

stems from the fact that aiding in criminal prosecutions often 

costs businesses more than does doing nothing at all. 

§ Examples of these performance 

indicators, and how to measure them, 

are given in the Assessing Responses to 

Problems: An Introductory Guide for Police 

Problem-Solvers guide in this series, 

as well as in other problem-specific 

guides. 
26 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

It is also important to address issues that concern many or 

most partnership members. If problems are defined by part 

of the group (e.g., by the police only) rather than the group 

as a whole, there will be little incentive for the businesses to 

continue their involvement. Balancing the competing agendas 

of the various partners is essential to the long-term viability 

of the partnership.

Early Successes

Positive early results will generate excitement and increase the 

likelihood of continued member involvement. In addition, 

publicizing these successes can cause other potential partners 

to support or to join the group. Conversely, if partnerships 

are to carry on past early successes, it is important to have 

more distant goals to work towards. Remember, however, that 

where a partnership is formed to address a specific problem 

there may be little reason to keep the group together once the 

problem has been solved.62 

Effective Partnership Strategies and Activities

These examples of successful police partnerships with small 

business come from the Safer Cities program in England. 

Whether these potential responses will work for you depends 

of course on the specific problem you are dealing with, and 

what you learned in your analysis. Other Problem-Oriented 

Policing Guides include more ideas for preventing crimes that 

concern businesses.
Police-Business Partnerships 27

Security Upgrades

Installing target-hardening measures, including roller shutters, 

alarm systems, security lighting, window grills, bars, and 

mesh, and closed circuit television had an immediate and 

substantial impact on burglary victimization in a variety of 

businesses in two cities in England. Businesses that had been 

victimized previously tended to participate in this program, 

which reimbursed participants for part of the cost of the 

various remedial measures undertaken. Of these, shutters and 

alarms seemed to be the most effective.63 Also in England, 

pharmacies that were deemed by the police to have adequate 

target-hardening measures in place were much less likely to be 

burglarized than were other pharmacies.64

Targeting Repeat Victimization

Once a business has been burglarized, it has a much greater 

risk of being victimized a second time. This risk is highest 

in the first few months after the initial victimization.65 

Therefore, where limited resources are available for crime 

prevention, it makes sense to focus on businesses that have 

already been victimized. Identifying these businesses entails 

systematically reviewing incident reports and separating 

business cases from residential ones. Supplying high-risk 

businesses with advice about target-hardening measures and 

supporting their installation is likely to reduce burglaries 

significantly. 
Strategies of Unknown Effectiveness

Storefront Substations

Storefront police substations are typically located in business 

areas such as shopping malls or commercial strips. Substations 

can be staffed by sworn officers or volunteers. Although 

substations primarily serve the needs of residents, their 

location allows for contact between police and businesses, 

which often provide space, furnishings, or other needed 

supplies. In Houston, Texas, for example, businesses donated 

furniture and a sign; in Anchorage, Alaska, a grocery store set 

aside part of its warehouse for a substation. 

Storefront substations may not be a particularly effective 

way of reaching citizens or businesspeople or of improving 

problem-solving capabilities. One study found that AfricanAmericans, renters, young people, those with little education, 

those with low income, and short-term residents were unlikely 

to have used the services of a storefront substation or even to 

have heard of its presence in the neighborhood. In addition, 

substations had little apparent impact on businesspeople in 

terms of victimization or concern about crime, although 

there were improvements in levels of fear about personal 

victimization and in evaluations of police service.66 Where 

storefront substations do not make a big difference for 

businesses in the area, it may be because businesses generally 

have fairly routine contact with police; a new storefront 

substation will not change that. 

Remember, however, that a storefront substation can lead 

retailers to report victimizations to the police more often 

than they would if there was no substation. On the surface, 

this will make it appear that crime in the area has increased, 

while in fact all that has changed is the level of reporting.67 

28 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems
Police-Business Partnerships 29

Uncovering this explanation for the change in crime rates 

requires conducting a survey of businesses to assess whether 

the likelihood of reporting has increased. 

Storefront substations can benefit businesses indirectly as 

well. For example, police in Queensland, Australia found 

that a high proportion of residents responded favorably to 

storefront substations in shopping malls because they felt 

safer while shopping and thought the police were more 

accessible.68 If people feel safer shopping in an area, they are 

more likely to shop there, thus increasing patronage, sales, and 

revenue. 

The success of a storefront substation depends upon the 

type of activities conducted and the manner in which 

the substation is run. For example, substations are not 

good assignments for officers who require a great deal of 

supervision or who are not highly self-motivated. It is also 

important to ensure that substation officers feel a sense of 

ownership, perhaps through involvement in its planning. 

Frequent turnover of staff should be avoided.69 

Business Police Academies

The business police academy (BPA) is an innovative approach 

designed to encourage the exchange of information between 

businesses and police and to build mutual understanding and 

trust. The BPA is modeled after the citizen police academy 

(CPA), but the two differ in several key respects. First, while 

CPA students are drawn from a wide range of citizens, the 

BPA specifically targets businesspeople, be they in retail, 

service, banking, or other industries. Second, unlike the 

wide-ranging CPA curriculum, BPA curriculum concentrates 

intensely on the prevention of and responses to property and 

violent crimes that affect businesses. Third, CPA curriculum 
is typically taught by police officers, whereas the specialized 

nature of BPA curriculum sometimes requires instructors 

from outside the department, such as loss prevention experts 

from retail businesses or government employees who work to 

combat counterfeiting.70 

Business police academies are inexpensive to establish and 

operate; the cost can be covered by sponsoring businesses. 

The benefit to the police of organizing a BPA makes it 

a reasonable use of resources. Because BPA students are 

educated about the costs of crime against business, they 

should be more willing to report crimes and to aid in criminal 

investigations. Although there may be an initial increase in 

reported crimes, learning about prevention strategies should 

reduce real levels of victimization over time.71 

Business police academies have recently started in Honolulu, 

Hawaii,§ St. Louis, Missouri,§§ Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,§§§ 

and London, Ontario.§§§§

Business Watch

Business watch is a variation on the neighborhood or block 

watch program, except that the participants are business 

owners and employees rather than residents and homeowners. 

Research on the effectiveness of residential watch programs 

is not promising.72 When they are effective, they tend to 

be in areas where there is already an underlying level of 

community cohesion. Neighborhoods that could benefit most 

are so disorganized that it is extremely difficult to get the 

program going.73 There is little evidence that business watch 

programs are any more effective than neighborhood watch 

programs; and like neighborhood programs, business watches 

are hard to establish.74 Before embarking on a business 

watch program, specific objectives should be laid out and 

crime prevention goals should be directed at a specific type 

30 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

§ See www.starbulletin.

com/2003/09/11/business/engle.

html.

§§ See www.co.st-louis.

mo.us/scripts/PD/press/view.

cfm?ViewMe=5033.

§§§ See www.harrisburgpa.

gov/pressReleases/

prArchives/2003/11/20031114_

citizensPoliceAcd.html.

§§§§ See www.oldeastvillage.com/

bpa/main/. A model curriculum for 

an eight-week BPA offered by the 

London, Ontario police is available 

at www.oldeastvillage.com/bpa/

courseOutline/week1.php.
Police-Business Partnerships 31

of crime. While business watch can be useful because it can 

increase communication among members,75 after a program 

is established, its long-term viability can be threatened by 

limited financial resources, time constraints, and low levels 

of enthusiasm and involvement.76 Evaluators of a business 

watch program in Australia found that most participants 

were unaware of the program or its components and thought 

it was ineffective in reducing crime or fear of crime. The 

researchers concluded that the program failed because of lack 

of enthusiasm, poor publicity, and a lack of clear objectives.77 

One approach that may work better is “cocooning”: when a 

business is burglarized, neighboring businesses are encouraged 

to be especially vigilant over that property for several weeks, 

until the risk of repeat victimization declines.78 

Police Inspections §

Most jurisdictions have ordinances that require food service 

businesses to be inspected regularly by the health department 

as a condition of receiving or renewing their licenses. Other 

types of businesses are also subject to regular inspection 

as a condition of operation. Often, police departments are 

involved in these inspections, although typically they are 

concerned with issues such as the impact of special events on 

traffic or whether the operator of a business is of good moral 

character. 

As of means of encouraging reluctant businesses to adopt 

crime prevention strategies, an ordinance could be enacted 

that ties business licensing to site inspection by police. A 

point system could be used to rate the extent to which 

the business has followed the guidelines for reducing and 

preventing crime in and around its premises. Other relevant 

factors could include the number of false alarms (see the False 

Burglar Alarms Problem-Oriented Policing Guide for more 

information) and the number of calls-for-service. Businesses 

§ Thanks to the anonymous 

reviewer who suggested the idea of 

police inspection and certification 

for licensing of businesses.
that meet the standards and have licenses granted or renewed 

could be required to post their certification in a prominent 

location. 

Where such an ordinance is not feasible, it may be possible 

to establish a voluntary certification program. In conjunction 

with the program, a media campaign could identify businesses 

that are good community citizens or partners in crime 

prevention and could encourage customers to frequent such 

businesses. 

Some years ago, Bellevue, Washington implemented a 

cooperative program that involved the insurance industry, 

local businesses, and police. Business owners were invited to a 

one-day seminar on crime prevention presented by the police, 

followed by on-site security audits of the retail establishments. 

Participation in the program increased dramatically after an 

economic incentive was offered: insurance companies began 

offering up to 25 percent lower rates based upon efforts to 

implement crime prevention measures.79 

32 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems
Conclusion 33

Conclusion

Traditional methods of dealing with business crime have not 

always been effective, as is evidenced by the extremely high 

level of business victimization. A problem-solving approach 

involving business partnerships holds a great deal of promise. 

Partnerships can be small and short-lived, with the goal of 

addressing one particular problem, or can comprise many 

partners, address complex social issues, and function for an 

extended period of time. 

Although this guide provides guidelines for creating and 

sustaining partnerships, it bears repeating that partnerships 

should not be formed just for the sake of having a 

partnership. This does not mean that the police should not 

communicate with businesses, as there are many legitimate 

reasons to do so. These relationships and communications, 

although not formally structured, can be an important part of 

an overall community policing strategy. However, if problemoriented policing is the underlying reason for the partnership, 

then there should be a specific issue for the partnership to 

address. 

Endnotes 35

Endnotes 1

 Fisher and Looye (2000).

2

 Federal Bureau of Investigation (2004).

3

 Printing World (2005).

4

 Clarke (2002a).

5

 Van Dijk (1997).

6

 Tilley (1993).

7

 Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (2004).

8

 Kuratko et al. (2000).

9

 Kuratko et al. (2000).

10 Fisher (1991).

11 Fisher and Looye (2000).

12 Clarke (2002a).

13 Fisher (1991).

14 Schmerler (2005).

15 Clarke (2002a).

16 Hardie and Hobbs (2002).

17 Fisher and Looye (2000).

18 Citizens Crime Commission of New York City (1985); 

Clarke (2002b).

19 Laycock (1996).

20 Hardie and Hobbs (2002); Pease (2001).

21 Chamard and Chamard (2004); Levi (2002); Challinger 

(1997).

22 Fisher and Looye (2000).

23 Scott and Goldstein (2005), citing Goldstein (1996).

24 Burrows (1991); Doig et al. (1999).

25 Hopkins and Tilley (1998).

26 Hopkins and Tilley (1998).

27 Laycock (1996).

28 Hopkins and Tilley (1998).

29 Hopkins and Tilley (1998).

30 Scott and Goldstein (2005).

31 Scott and Goldstein (2005).
32 Scott and Goldstein (2005).

33 Scott and Goldstein (2005).

34 Scott and Goldstein (2005).

35 Schuller and Deane (2000).

36 Citizens Crime Commission of New York City (1985).

37 Citizens Crime Commission of New York City (1985).

38 Schuller (2002).

39 Dominguez (2001).

40 Clarke (2002b).

41 Schuller and Deane (2000).

42 Central London Partnership (2002).

43 Jones et al. (2003).

44 MacDonald (1996).

45 May (2003).

46 Oc and Tiesdell (1998).

47 Stokes (2002).

48 McEwen (2003).

49 Tilley (1993).

50 Van den Berg (1995).

51 Hauritz et al. (1998); Homel et al. (1997); Ramsay (1990); 

Darcy (2003).

52 Homel et al. (1997)

53 Scottish Business Crime Centre (2005); Association of 

Chief Police Officers (n.d.).

54 Schmerler (2005).

55 Smith (2005).

56 International Association of Chiefs of Police (2004).

57 International Association of Chiefs of Police (2004).

58 Institute for Law and Justice (2000).

59 Institute for Law and Justice (2000).

60 Parkinson (2004).

61 Parkinson (2004).

62 Mullett (2001).

63 Tilley (1993).

64 Laycock (1984).

36 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems
Endnotes 37

65 Tilley (1993).

66 Skogan and Wycoff (1986).

67 Taylor and Charlton (2005).

68 Lake (1995).

69 Skogan and Wycoff (1986).

70 Aryani et al. (2003).

71 Aryani et al. (2003).

72 Henig (1984); Bennett (1987); Pate et al. (1987); Husain 

(1990); Skogan (1990); Smith et al. (1997).

73 Hope (1995).

74 Tilley (1993).

75 Thomas (1999).

76 Charlton and Taylor (2003).

77 Charlton and Taylor (2005).

78 Clarke (2002a).

79 Van Blaricom (1981). 

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About the Author 49

About the Author

Sharon Chamard

Sharon Chamard is assistant professor at the Justice Center 

at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She was previously 

a research consultant for the Center for Problem-Oriented 

Policing and a research associate at the Crime Prevention 

Extension Service at Rutgers University. Her research has 

been published in the Canadian Journal of Criminology, the 

Security Journal, and the Alaska Justice Forum. She is currently 

co-editor of the Western Criminology Review. She received a 

bachelor’s degree in sociology from Saint Mary’s University in 

Halifax, Nova Scotia, and master’s and doctorate degrees in 

criminal justice from the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers 

University-Newark. 

Recommended Readings 51

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 costeffective 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 
52 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

provides detailed reports of the best submissions to the 

annual award program that recognizes exemplary problemoriented 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.
Recommended Readings 53

• Problem-Oriented Policing and Crime Prevention, 

by Anthony A. Braga (Criminal Justice Press, 2003). 

Provides a thorough 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.
54 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

• 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 55

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
56 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

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. Glesnor 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: 1-932582-57-6

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

• 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: 1932582-49-5

• Analyzing Repeat Victimization. Deborah Lamm 

Weisel. 2005. ISBN: 1-932582-54-1

• Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety 

Problems. Sharon Chamard. 2006. ISBN: 1-932582-62-2

Other Problem-Oriented Guides for Police 57
58 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems

Upcoming Problem-Oriented Guides for Police 

Problem-Specific Guides

Domestic Violence

Mentally Ill Persons

Bank Robbery

Witness Intimidation

Drive-by Shootings

Problem with Day Laborer Sites

Child Pornography on the Internet

Crowd Control at Stadiums and Other Entertainment Venues

Traffic Congestion Around Schools

Theft from Construction Sites of Single Family Houses

Robbery of Convenience Stores

Theft from Cars on Streets

Problem-Solving Tools

Risky Facilities

Implementing Responses to Problems

Designing a Problem Analysis System

Response Guides

Crime Prevention Publicity Campaigns

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

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.

www.cops.usdoj.gov

For More Information:

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

1100 Vermont Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 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.

e03062300 Date: March 15, 2006

ISBN: 1-932582-62-2