The main argument is that the police should take an active role in redistributing responsibility for public safety and disorder problems to individuals, groups, and agencies that contribute to a problem. The author contends that the police are only one institution established to deal with problems of crime and disorder and cannot, on their own, deal with these problems effectively or substantially. Research on effective crime control is reviewed, which shows that police can be effective at reducing crime when their efforts are highly focused on particular problem locations or persons. Criminological research and theories indicate that indirect police action, such as compelling others to take action against disorder, holds significant promise for controlling crime, particularly in terms of limiting opportunities for crime. Ten methods that police can employ to ensure a shift in the responsibility for addressing public safety problems are identified and described in turn. The methods are identified in the order of the least degree of pressure to the greatest degree of pressure and range from educating others about their responsibility to charging fees for police services to bringing civil action against entities that refuse to accept responsibility for a safety problem. Factors determining the appropriate degree of police pressure to place on entities, such as businesses or community groups, are considered before the author reviews the emerging trends in police efforts to shift the public safety responsibility. A series of examples from the United States and Great Britain are offered throughout the chapter to illustrate how police have successfully utilized different methods to shift responsibility for public safety to other entities. Box, notes, references