Joshua Sipes
Johnston
August 21, 2013
Arizona State University
Law enforcement is one of the most dynamic social fields in the world. Police tactics and strategies are constantly changing to meet the needs of the communities that they serve, large and small alike. New strategies are implemented in hopes of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of police. The majority of new strategies aim to help law enforcement agencies and protocols become more systematic, and eliminate any redundancy. One such strategy was introduced in 1979 by Herman Goldstein (Clark, 2003). Goldstein’s idea revolved around identifying a specific problem, implementing case specific solutions to that issue, and analyzing the effect that the interventions had on the original problem. …show more content…
Quite simply, problem-oriented policing aims at reducing and removing the elements that cause crime rather than dedicating a large number of resources to respond to crimes. Comparatively, it is the equivalent of stitching up a deep flesh wound rather than simply putting a Band-Aid on it. Problem-oriented policing is implemented in four different stages. First, data is scanned to determine a pattern in routine incidents. Once analysis is complete, the data is analyzed to determine any linking, or unique factors. After the data has been gathered and analyzed, tactics are changed to disrupt the normal chain of events in the criminal activity, or otherwise prevent instances of the crime’s occurrence. Sometimes, in order to decrease the instances of one crime occurring, numerous other interventions must be taken. Lastly, more data is gathered in order to determine the efficiency of the program, and the overall effectiveness of the interventions