SAGE Journal Articles

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Journal Article #1: Haberman, C. P. (2016). A view inside the “black box” of hot spots policing from a sample of police commanders. Police Quarterly, 19(4), 488-517. doi:10.1177/1098611116655792

Abstract: This study used observations of crime strategy meetings and interviews with police commanders to “get inside the black box of hot spots policing.” The findings focus on what the studied police commanders believed they were doing and why they believed those tactics would be effective during hot spots policing implemented under non-experimental conditions. An example causal model for the effectiveness of hot spots policing that emerged from the data is presented. While the commanders’ views aligned with commonly used policing tactics and crime control theories, their underlying theoretical rationale is complex. The presented model provides one causal model that could be tested in future hot spots policing evaluations, and a discussion is presented of how the study’s methodology can be applied in other jurisdictions to define localized causal models and improve hot spot policing evaluations.

 

Journal Article #2: Willis, J. J. (2013). First-line supervision and strategic decision making under CompStat and community policing. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 24(2), 235-256. doi:10.1177/0887403411427355

Abstract: CompStat and community policing are powerful movements in U.S. police reform. Although different in important respects, both are heralded for being strategic, or strengthening a police organization’s capacity to detect changes in crime and disorder and respond effectively. Using data from six focus groups, this study examines how first-line supervisors reported making decisions and offering guidance on crime and disorder problems. Its major finding is that co-implementation of these reforms had affected supervision unevenly. A challenge to policymakers and researchers is to reconsider how patrol supervision in co-implementing departments might be restructured to strengthen the strategic dimensions of both reforms.