NCJ Number
35798
Date Published
1971
Length
23 pages
Annotation
THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO IDENTIFY AND EXAMINE THE PREDICTIVE UTILITY OF SEVERAL CATEGORIES OF INDICES DIRECTED AT MONITORING PHENOMENA WHICH MAY BE AFFECTED BY CHANGES IN THE LEVEL OF ORGANIZED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.
Abstract
THIS STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO PROVIDE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS WITH A GENERAL APPROACH FOR THE SYSTEMATIC DEVELOPMENT OF INDICES TO EVALUATE AND GUIDE ORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL PROGRAMS. IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT FLUCTUATIONS IN THE SALES OF RACING PUBLICATIONS ARE INDICES OF CHANGES IN THE LEVEL OF OFF-TRACK BETTING. THIS HYPOTHESIS WAS TESTED BY PLOTTING WEEKLY SALES FIGURES OF A POPULAR RACING PUBLICATION AT SELECTED NEWSSTANDS FOR EACH OF THREE YEARS TO DETERMINE IF OBSERVED FLUCTUATIONS COULD BE LINKED TO POLICE RAIDS ON BETTING PARLORS AND WIRE ROOMS. THE RELATIVE DECLINE IN THE SALE OF RACING PUBLICATIONS WAS HYPOTHESIZED TO BE A MEASURE OF EFFECTIVENESS OF THE RAID. TABULAR AND GRAPHIC DATA IS PRESENTED ON THE SALE OF RACING PUBLICATIONS AT SEVERAL NEWSSTANDS IN ONE METROPOLITAN AREA FOR 1967, 1968, AND 1969; THE DATES OF KNOWN POLICE RAIDS; AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO. BASED ON ANALYSIS RESULTS, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THERE MAY BE SOME RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SALE OF RACING PUBLICATIONS AND RAIDS. FOR OTHER REPORTS IN THE SERIES, SEE NCJ-35794-97.