Piza, E. (2018)

Criminal Justice Policy Review, 29(6-7): 611-629

Key Takeaways

• This study tested the effect of police officer actions on crime during a foot-patrol intervention in Newark, NJ
• Foot patrol officer actions fell within 2 broad typologies: enforcement actions and guardian actions
• Enforcement actions consisted of arrests, quality of life summonses, and field interrogations
• Guardian actions consisted of business checks, bus checks, citizen contacts, and taxi inspections
• Guardian actions were associated with decreased levels of overall violent crime and robbery in the target area
• No officer actions were related to crime levels in the displacement zone
• Enforcement actions were not significantly related to crime levels in any of the statistical models

Research Summary

The current study tests the crime prevention effect of various police officer actions during the Newark, New Jersey Police Department’s (NPD’s) Operation Impact, a foot-patrol initiative. Operation Impact patrols occurred from 6pm to 2am each night to coincide with the times which violence was highest in the quarter-square-mile target area.

Street-level actions enacted by police officers can exhibit a great deal of variability, even within single interventions. Police officers enjoy a great deal of latitude when choosing how to address incidents of concern, with a number of appropriate enforcement decisions available in most instances. On one hand, police officers may choose to address incidents by leveraging their law enforcement powers, specifically by making arrests or issuing citations. Conversely, police officers may rely on their conspicuous presence and more informal community engagement during their crime control efforts. While there are examples of effective place-based policing interventions incorporating both enforcement and less punitive actions, research has yet to compare the relative effect of these tactics. As such, our understanding of effective police strategies has developed at a much more rapid pace than the knowledge base around effective police tactics.

The current study tested the effect of police officer actions on daily crime levels during Operation Impact. Police actions were categorized into two typologies: official “enforcement actions” and less punitive, more informal “guardian actions.” Enforcement actions consisted of arrests, quality-of-life summonses, and field interrogations. Guardian actions consisted of business checks, bus checks, citizen contacts (non-crime related), and taxi inspections. All officer actions were collected from custom after-action reports created by Operation Impact commanders and completed by all foot-patrol officers on a nightly basis. Crime was measured from the NPD’s records management system.

Findings of the statistical analysis indicate enforcement actions and guardian actions have disparate effects on crime. In the target area, each 1-standard deviation increase in guardian actions was associated with a 51% decreased likelihood of violent crime during the 24-hour period and a 58% decreased likelihood of violent crime during the operational period. Guardian actions were similarly effective in preventing robbery, with a 1-standard deviation increase associated with a 52% decreased likelihood of robbery during the 24-hour period and a 51% decreased likelihood of violent crime during the operational period. Enforcement actions were not related to crime levels in a single instance. No Operation Impact officer action variables were associated with crime levels in the catchment zone, meaning they did not help explain the occurrence of spatial displacement caused by the foot patrols. However, enforcement actions conducted by NPD officers not assigned to the foot patrols were associated with increased levels of robbery in the catchment zone as well as increased levels of assault and murder in the target area during the non-operational period (2am to 6pm).

The study findings suggest that police may be able to de-emphasize enforcement actions in favor of less invasive guardian actions without sacrificing crime control benefits. This may help police strike a balance between crime prevention and fostering positive relationships with the community. Findings also indicate police agencies should build processes to measure guardian actions into performance review structures, such as CompStat.

Victoria A. Sytsma and Eric L. Piza (2018)

Police Practice and Research: An International Journal, 19(4): 347-364

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to compare a specialized community-oriented policing (COP) unit to a reactive unit on officer perceptions of public contact and officer perceptions of job performance. We also compare bicycle patrol officers to motor vehicle patrol officers within these units. Using a static group comparison design, questionnaires were distributed to officers within the Toronto Police Service (n = 178). Bicycle patrol is associated with more contacts with the public and higher rates of proactive policing when compared to motor vehicle patrol and bicycle officers are more likely to rate higher on several measures of crime control. Officers with a COP mandate engage with the public for a wider variety of reasons compared to those with a reactive mandate, and are more likely to rate higher on perceptions of performing job duties in a procedurally just manner. This study demonstrates the value of a specialized COP unit that includes bicycle patrol in achieving tenets of COP. It contributes to the literature on COP and the use of bicycle patrol in law enforcement by presenting the perspective of the police officer.

Piza, E., Kennedy, L., and Caplan, J. (2018)

European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 24(4): 489-513

Abstract

The contemporary policing literature contains numerous examples of partnerships between academic researchers and police agencies. Such efforts have greatly contributed to evidence-based policing by increasing the knowledge base on effective strategies. However, research has demonstrated that successful collaboration between researchers and practitioners can be a challenge, with various organizational and inter-agency factors presenting difficulties at various stages of the process. Additionally, applied research can oftentimes face implementation challenges when the time comes to convert research into practice. The current study contributes to the literature by discussing research/practitioner partnerships and program implementation in the context of a multi-city risk-based policing project in the United States. We conceptualize police interventions as contingent on four distinct phases: 1) problem analysis, 2) project design, 3) project implementation, and 4) project evaluation. In this project, the research partners were able to successfully complete each phase in certain cities while the project experienced difficulty at one or more phases in other cities. We discuss these disparate experiences, identifying factors that facilitate or impede upon successful completion of each step. Policy implications and recommendations for future risk-based policing interventions are discussed.

Piza, E. (2018)

Journal of Crime and Justice, 41(1): 14-30

Abstract

This study measures the effect of CCTV in Newark, NJ across three separate crime categories: auto theft, theft from auto, and violent crime. CCTV viewsheds, denoting camera line-of-sight, were units of analysis. Viewsheds for treatment units were created by digitizing live CCTV footage within a geographic information system (GIS). Control viewsheds were created with GIS tools and aerial imagery from Google maps. Treatment cases were matched with control cases via propensity score matching (PSM) to ensure statistical equivalency between groups. Effect was measured via odds ratios and average treatment on the treated statistics. Findings offer modest support for CCTV as a deterrent against auto theft while demonstrating no effect on the other crime types. These results suggest that CCTV appears to be a viable option for jurisdictions wishing to target auto theft. Agencies suffering from other street-level crime problems may not benefit from CCTV and may need to deploy CCTV alongside other evidence-based strategies, rather than as a stand-alone tactic, in order to achieve crime control benefits.