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POLICE POLICY EVALUATION - A BIBLIOGRAPHIC ESSAY (FROM EVALUATING ALTERNATIVE LAW-ENFORCEMENT POLICIES, 1979, BY RALPH BAKER AND FRED A MEYER, JR - SEE NCJ-65735)

NCJ Number
65736
Author(s)
K W GAME
Date Published
1979
Length
20 pages
Annotation
A GUIDE TO POLICE EVALUATION LITERATURE IS PROVIDED, COVERING COSTS, POLICE EFFECTIVENESS, MODEL POLICING PROGRAMS, AND DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES, AND GAPS IN LITERATURE AVAILABILITY ARE DISCUSSED.
Abstract
EVALUATING POLICE POLICY REQUIRES KNOWLEDGE OF ITS COST, EFFECTIVENESS, CHANGES OF EFFECTIVENESS ASCRIBABLE TO POLICY CHANGE, AND POLICY ENVIRONMENT (BUREAUCRATIC METHODS AND FACTS ABOUT THE PROTECTED COMMUNITY). LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY COSTS OF PARTICULAR POLICY CHANGES; MOST COST AND EXPENDITURE LITERATURE CONCERNS CITYWIDE COSTS OF OPERATIONS REGARDLESS OF POLICY AND IS THEREFORE NOT DIRECTLY USEFUL FOR POLICY EVALUATION. HOWEVER, THE LITERATURE WILL HELP POLICY EVALUATORS UNDERSTAND THE AGGREGATE PROBLEMS OF POLICE COSTS AND THE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRIME RATES AND POLICE DOLLARS. OTHER LITERATURE COVERS COST INFLUENCES ON STATE LEGISLATURES, SOCIECONOMIC VARIABLES, AND PRODUCTIVITY ESTIMATION. IMPORTANT POLICY EFFECTIVENESS LITERATURE DISCUSSES THREE COMMON PROBLEMS OF MEASURING POLICE EFFECTIVENESS: KNOWING WHAT POLICY OUTCOMES TO MEASURE, CONFUSING OUTPUTS WITH OUTCOMES, AND EXCLUDING DUTIES OTHER THAN CRIME FIGHTING. OTHER PERTINENT LITERATURE DEALS WITH CRIME AND VICTIMIZATION DATA COLLECTION WEAKNESSES, STUDIES OF EFFECTIVE COLLECTION TECHNIQUES, AND CONSUMER SATISFACTION AS AN EFFECTIVENESS MEASURE. A NUMBER OF RECENT STUDIES AND EXPERIMENTS PROVIDE MODELS FOR POLICE POLICY EVALUATION, SUCH AS THE KANSAS CITY POLICE PROJECT RELATING PATROLLING TO VICTIMIZATION, REPORTED CRIME, ARRESTS, AND POLICE RESPONSE TIME. OTHER LITERATURE DISCUSSES POLICE PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL SERVICE ACTIVITIES, AND THE GROWTH OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE BUREAUCRACY. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT A SUBSTANTIAL LITERATURE NOW EXISTS TO ASSIST POLICE POLICYMAKERS, PARTICULARLY LITERATURES ON PRICE AND PRODUCTIVITY OF POLICE SERVICES. NOTES AND FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED. (PAP)

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