NCJ Number
99253
Date Published
1985
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Police order-maintenance activities provide immediate gains for the police and the community by reducing fear of crime, increasing community support for the police, and reducing officers' sense of isolation from the community; such activities may also help prevent and solve crime.
Abstract
The police reform era (which began in the early 1900's and declined during the 1970's) highlighted the police crime-fighting function and deemphasized the order-maintenance function (dealing with such matters as minor crimes, vagrancy, and disorderly conduct). Order maintenance can have the immediate benefits of reducing citizens' fear of crime and increasing citizen support for and cooperation with the police. Order maintenance can also prevent disorderly behaviors from escalating into serious crimes. Evidence indicates that police-citizen relationships cultivated by a police order-maintenance presence facilitate citizens' giving patrol officers information about serious crimes. Police management issues raised by order-maintenance activities include the control of police discretion and the management of political influence. Among the steps police and communities can take to maximize the effectiveness of order-maintenance activities is the allocation of foot patrol officers to those areas where order maintenance is most needed.