Solving Crime Problems in Residential Neighborhoods: Comprehensive Changes in Design, Management, and Use U.S
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U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice Solving Crime Problems in Residential Neighborhoods: Comprehensive Changes in Design, Management, and Use U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 633 Indiana Avenue N.W. Washington, DC 20531 Janet Reno Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice John C. Dwyer Acting Associate Attorney General Laurie Robinson Assistant Attorney General Jeremy Travis Director, National Institute of Justice Justice Information Center World Wide Web Site http://www.ncjrs.org U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice Solving Crime Problems in Residential Neighborhoods: Comprehensive Changes in Design, Management, and Use by Judith D. Feins, Ph. D. Joel C. Epstein, Esq. Rebecca Widom April 1997 Issues and Practices in Criminal Justice is a publication series of the National Institute of Justice. Each report presents the program options and management issues in a topic area, based on a review of research and evaluation findings, operational experience, and expert opinion on the subject. The intent is to provide information to make informed choices in planning, implementing, and improving programs and practice in criminal justice. National Institute of Justice Jeremy Travis Director John Spevacek Samuel C. McQuade Program Monitors Advisory Panel Ronald Clarke, Dean Severin Sorensen, President Rutgers University SPARTA Consulting Corporation School of Criminal Justice 7313 Woodmont Avenue 15 Washington Street Bethesda, MD 20814 Newark, NJ 07102 Stephen Tise Dan Fleissner, Manager Tise, Hurwitz, and Diamond, Inc. Architects Research and Grants 370 Washington Street Seattle Police Department, Brookline, MA 02146 Community Policing Bureau 700 Third Avenue, Room 540 Seattle, WA 98104 Prepared for the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice by Abt Associates Inc., under contract #OJP-94-C-007. Points of view or opinions stated in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. The National Institute of Justice is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. NCJ 164488 Table of Contents Page Page Foreword .................................................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................. ix Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................. xi Chapter 1: Crime and Place: What Do We Know?............................................................................ 1 Objectives and Audience ....................................................................................................... 1 Overview of theReport .......................................................................................................... 1 What Is Place-Specific Crime Prevention? ........................................................................... 3 Displacement of Crime or Diffusion of Benefits? ...................................................... 3 Need for Continuing Research .................................................................................... 4 Introduction to Selected Programs ........................................................................................ 5 Public Housing Development: Lockwood Gardens, Oakland, California ................. 5 Private Rental Complex: Castle Square Apartments, Boston, Massachusetts .......... 6 Urban Neighborhood: Genesis Park, Charlotte, North Carolina ............................... 6 Suburban Community: The Village of Oak Park, Illinois ......................................... 7 Other Sites Contacted by Telephone .......................................................................... 7 Chapter 2: Crime and Place: Defining the Problem .......................................................................... 11 Involving Key Players ...........................................................................................................11 Enlisting Police Involvement ...................................................................................... 11 Building on Existing Relationships ............................................................................ 12 Organizing the Community ........................................................................................ 12 Obstacles to Coordination and Cooperation ............................................................... 13 Resident Involvement in Crime ........................................................................... 13 Past Tensions ........................................................................................................ 13 Fear of Retaliation ................................................................................................ 13 Population Changes .............................................................................................. 13 Negative Press ...................................................................................................... 13 Defining the Crime Problem ................................................................................................. 14 Gathering Information About Crime and Disorder .................................................... 14 Linking Crime to Location ......................................................................................... 15 Identifying Key Physical Features .............................................................................. 15 Identifying Managers and Potential Managers of an Area ................................................... 19 Why Is Management Important? ................................................................................ 19 Page Who Are the Managers? ............................................................................................. 20 Analyzing Current Management ................................................................................. 21 Analyzing Current Use Patterns of an Area .......................................................................... 21 Who Lives Here? ........................................................................................................ 22 Who Works Here?....................................................................................................... 22 Drug Dealers and Organizations ........................................................................... 23 Gangs .................................................................................................................... 24 Who Else Uses the Area?............................................................................................ 24 Chapter 3: Planning for Change: Program Design .......................................................................... 27 A Primer of CPTED Strategies and Tactics .......................................................................... 27 Selecting Approaches that Work for Your Community ............................................. 30 Maintaining a Menu of Approaches ........................................................................... 31 Identifying Resources............................................................................................................ 31 Types of Resources ..................................................................................................... 31 Priority or Key Resources ........................................................................................... 32 First Steps: Where to Begin .................................................................................................. 34 Enhanced Security ...................................................................................................... 34 Resident Organization................................................................................................. 35 Choosing Where to Begin ........................................................................................... 36 Getting Ahead of the Problem .................................................................................... 37 Chapter 4: Making Changes: Program Implementation ................................................................... 39 Changing the Physical Environment ..................................................................................... 39 Changing Management: Who’s in Charge Here? ................................................................. 47 Making Changes in Security Management ................................................................. 47 Policing ................................................................................................................. 48 Private Security ..................................................................................................... 49 Residents ............................................................................................................... 50 Making Changes in Property Management ................................................................ 51 Chapter 5: Putting the Pieces Together: