Kappeler: Community Policing, 6th Edition


Case Studies with Questions and Answers

Chapter 06: Community Policing and Crime

The City of El Paso, Texas sits on the United States Mexico Border. The City of El Paso is currently transforming its police department from a traditional policing effort to a more community policing effort. The City of El Paso is considered one of the safest cities in the United States according to the Uniform Crime Report that is compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is ironic that the City of El Paso is one of the safest cities in the United States while at the same time the city of Juarez, Mexico is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Most recently it has been labeled the murder capital of the world. The city of El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico are separated only by a river.

The City of El Paso would like to evaluate how data on crime is gathered and if it is accurate given the crime problem across the border. The City of El Paso and its leaders are concerned that the crime problem in Juarez, Mexico has crossed the border yet the data has not accurately reflected this reality.

Another issue that is of concern to the City of El Paso is the rise in domestic violence calls to the police department. Calls pertaining to domestic violence currently make up the largest category of calls received by the police department. The City and its leaders would like to develop a new strategy to effectively address domestic violence so that it does not escalate into a more serious type of crime.

Questions

  1. By who and how is data on crime gathered in the United States? What are its weaknesses?
  2. Correct Answer

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation currently compiles the Uniform Crime Report. The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) is data that shows crimes reported to police. The focus of the UCR is 8 crimes that are broken up into violent crime and property crime. Under the violent crime category we have murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Under the property crime category we have burglary, larceny/theft, mother vehicle theft, and arson. One of the flaws of the UCR is that it only gathers data on crime that comes to the attention of police.


  3. What are some flaws in the traditional policing effort?
  4. Correct Answer

    The research suggests that a traditional policing effort is reactive in nature. Hence policing does not occur until after a crime has been committed. A major flaw of a traditional policing effort would be prevention of crime.


  5. What can the City of El Paso, Texas do to address the escalation of domestic violence to a more serious crime?
  6. Correct Answer

    Community policing would assist with domestic violence in that police officers would interact more with the community. If an officer is able to interact more with the population then he/she will be more aware of individual citizen needs. Furthermore, the Minneapolis Experiment found that when a police officer is called to a home and intervenes in the right manner then that could potentially lower the level of tension in the home. The police officer has the option to counsel the couple, make an arrest, or separate the couple so that they can cool down.


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