Problem-Oriented Policing

Michael Scott is clinical professor at Arizona State University’s School of Criminology & Criminal Justice and director of the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, which produces and disseminates information about how police can effectively and fairly address specific public-safety problems. He was formerly a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School; chief of police in Lauderhill, Florida; special assistant to the chief of the St. Louis, Missouri, Metropolitan Police Department; director of administration of the Fort Pierce, Florida, Police Department; a senior researcher at the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) in Washington, D.C.; legal assistant to the police commissioner of the New York City Police Department; and a police officer in the Madison, Wisconsin, Police Department. In 1996, he received PERF's Gary P. Hayes Award for innovation and leadership in policing. Ronald V. Clarke is university professor at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice and associate director of the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing. Before coming to the United States, he worked for fifteen years in the British government’s criminological research department, the Home Office Research and Planning Unit. While there, he led the team that originated situational crime prevention and is now considered to be the leading authority on that approach. In 2015, he was awarded the Stockholm Prize in Criminology. His current research focuses on wildlife crimes.

‘Mike Scott and Ron Clarke have made an important contribution to the literature on problem-oriented policing by bringing together successful case studies and making them available to the field. These case studies are an excellent way to share successful ideas with police officers who are always looking for solutions to the persistent problems they encounter in their work. They also reinforce a thoughtful process for identifying, understanding and responding to problems.’Darrel W. Stephens, Chief of Police (Ret.), Charlotte-Mecklenburg (North Carolina), St. Petersburg (Florida) and Newport News (Virginia), and former Executive Director, Police Executive Research Forum and Major Cities Chiefs Association‘This book is an indispensable resource from masters of the field, showing generations of police yet to come how they can do problem-oriented policing with insight, imagination and precision.’Lawrence Sherman, Professor of Criminology, University of Cambridge‘Sir Robert Peel fathered the first professional police force in 1829, stressing that "the basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder." This book provides inspirational worked examples of how to do that. Sir Robert would have loved it.’Ken Pease, Professor of Policing, University of Derby‘This book will prove invaluable because Ron, Mike and the authors of the case studies have re-visited the initiatives, sometimes decades later. This is the acid test of problem orientation. Some chapters reveal resilient and resounding results, others more ephemeral success. However, the analysis and insights of success or ultimate failure allow the reader to learn and hopefully deliver a policing service focused on prevention and wisdom.Michael Barton, Chief Constable (Ret.), Durham Constabulary and Visiting Professor, Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science, University College London

• 1.Introduction Part One.Gang violence 2.Youth gang gun violence in Boston, Massachusetts 3.Gun violence in Cincinnati, Ohio 4.Gang violence in Enfield, London 5.Gang violence and street disorder in Portland, Oregon 6.Gang violence in Aurora, Illinois Part Two.Violence against women 7.Domestic violence in High Point, North Carolina 8.Domestic violence in Chula Vista, California 9.Sexual assault of women by illegal-taxicab drivers in London 10.Sexual assault of women by illegal-taxicab drivers in Tønsberg, Norway 11.Assaults with glasses in bars and clubs in Lancashire, England Part Three.Vulnerable people 12.Accidental drownings of migrant laborers in Morecambe Bay, England 13.Traffic injuries and fatalities in farm-labor vehicles in California 14.Repeat callers to police in Lancashire, England 15.Opioid abuse in Reno, Nevada Part Four. Disorderly places 16.Disorderly day laborers in Glendale, California 17.Crime and disorder at a budget motel in Oakland, California 18.Crime and disorder at budget motels in Chula Vista, California 19.Disorderly homeless encampments in Eureka, California 20.Crime and disorder in a residential neighborhood in Austin, Texas Part Five.Theft, robbery and burglary 21.Robberies of convenience stores in Houston, Texas 22.Construction-site theft and burglary in Port St. Lucie, Florida 23.Burglary of storage units in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina 24.Auto theft in Winnipeg, Manitoba Part Six.Reflections 25.Problem-oriented public safety