Measuring What Matters. Part One: Measures of Crime, Fear, and Disorder. Research211 in Action

摘要

America develops yardsticks for its major concerns. We measure everything from211u001ethe productivity of factory workers to rates of infectious illness to the 211u001eendurance of shortstops. When it comes to public safety, the measurement familiar 211u001eto most people is whether reported crime is up or down. But other ways exist to 211u001egauge crime and its effects as well as to measure the performance of police who 211u001eshare responsibility for public safety. They are the products of research, 211u001edevelopment, and practice that began 30 years ago and are still evolving. This 211u001ereport listens in on a candid, wide-ranging discussion of crime, policing, and 211u001ethese measures. We hear the distinct voices and opinions of police chiefs, 211u001eresearchers and scholars, and leaders of community organizations. The value of 211u001ethe discussion is plain for those who see the need to assess both crime and 211u001epolice performance in accurate, useful, and innovative ways. Crime exacts a 211u001etremendous toll on communities. The police are one of the most expensive parts of 211u001elocal government. They are also most communities' only 24-hour-a-day service 211u001eagency and the face of local government to many citizens. And, as anyone familiar 211u001ewith the term community policing may know, police agencies are changing the way 211u001ethey operate. Questions arise. For example: What should the police be doing. How 211u001edo we know when they are doing it.