BY HAVING TWO ARMED, UNIFORMED GUARDS ON MOTOR PATROL DURING PEAK CRIME HOURS, THE JUNIPER GARDENS TENANTS ASSOCIATION HOPED TO REDUCE CRIME AND OTHER FORMS OF SOCIAL DEVIANCE IN THE CITY'S LARGEST AND OLDEST LOW-INCOME HOUSING PROJECT IN THREE WAYS: BY DETERRING CRIME THROUGH THE VISIBLE PRESENCE OF SECURITY PERSONNEL ON PREVENTIVE PATROL; BY RESPONDING IMMEDIATELY TO REPORTS OF CRIME; AND BY REDUCING LITTERING AND PARKING VIOLATIONS THROUGH THE SECURITY GUARDS' ENFORCEMENT OF THE ASSOCIATION'S CODE OF CONDUCT. THE OPERATION OF THE 15-MONTH DEMONSTRATION PROJECT IS DESCRIBED, WITH EMPHASIS ON PROCEDURES USED TO MONITOR PATROL OPERATIONS AND ON EFFORTS TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF PATROL OPERATIONS. THE IMPACT OF THE SECURITY PATROL IS ASSESSED BY COMPARING CRIME RATES AT JUNIPER GARDENS BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE PROJECT, AND BY COMPARING RATES FOR JUNIPER GARDENS WITH THOSE FOR THE SURROUNDING RESIDENTIAL AREA AND FOR OTHER PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECTS. NEITHER POLICE STATISTICS NOR INTERVIEWS WITH RESIDENTS PROVIDE CONVINCING EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PATROL PROJECT IN REDUCING CRIME. ALTHOUGH REPORTED CRIME IN JUNIPER GARDENS DECREASED DURING THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT, THE DECREASE WAS SMALL, THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE VARIABILITY MONTH TO MONTH, AND THERE WAS ALSO A DECREASE IN THE SURROUNDING AREA. THE CRIME RATE TREND DID NOT CHANGE APPRECIABLY UPON THE PROJECT'S INITIATION OR TERMINATION. RESIDENTS REPORTED SATISFACTION WITH THE PATROL PROGRAM, BUT DECREASE IN VICTIMIZATION. BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES AND PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT METHODS WERE DEVELOPED AND USED TO MONITOR PATROL ACTIVITIES. ALTHOUGH EXPERIMENTAL EFFORTS TO IMPROVE PATROL PERFORMANCE SUCCEEDED, THERE IS ONLY WEAK EVIDENCE THAT IMPROVED PERFORMANCE RESULTED IN GREATER EFFECTIVENESS. OVERALL, EVIDENCE FROM THIS PROJECT AND OTHERS SUGGESTS THAT PREVENTIVE PATROL IS NOT A VIABLE CRIME PREVENTION TACTIC FOR CRIME CONTROL BY THE COMMUNITY OR BY POLICE. ALTERNATIVES MAY BE FOUND IN POLICE 'CRIME ATTACK' STRATEGIES (E.G., PROPERTY IDENTIFICATION, USE OF UNMARKED PATROL CARS), POLICE COMMUNITY SERVICE EFFORTS (ASSIGNMENT OF TEAMS TO SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREAS, ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMUNITY SERVICE UNITS), AND COMMUNITY-BASED ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS NEIGHBORHOOD WATCHES AND COOPERATIVE VENTURES WITH POLICE. SUPPORTING DATA AND DOCUMENTATION ARE APPENDED. A LIST OF REFERENCES IS PROVIDED. (LKM)