- Published: September 13, 2022
- Updated: September 13, 2022
- University / College: University of Minnesota Twin Cities
- Level: Undergraduate
- Language: English
- Downloads: 25
1. Is there a crime problem at the Senior Citizens’ Center? In a discussion with the officers of Greenfield Police Department (GPD), in conjunction with confirming the statistics of crime incidence in the Senior Citizens’ Center, it is evident that there is no crime problem in the area.
2. Is fear reduction a police problem? Concurrently, the authors disclosed that through police strategies for reducing fear, subsequent repercussions actually lead, not only to a reduction in crime but in improving quality of life issues.
3. What are some possible causes of fear of crime at the Center? The possible causes of fear of crime at the Center are news reports of criminal activities and rumors or “ second-hand information about criminal victimization” (Moore & Trojanowicz, 1998, p. 3), particularly about car thefts in parking lots.
4. What is missing in the current community-police relationship between the Greenfield Police department and the senior citizens? What is apparently missing in the current community-police relationship between the GPD and the senior citizens is direct contact and coordination with the senior citizens at the center. This means that police officers should not be only seen to regularly patrol in the area, but they should go to the center, communicate with the senior citizens regarding their alleged fears, and assure them that crime incidence is significantly low and that their neighborhood is actually safe.
5. Suggest a community policing strategy to reduce the fear of crime at the Senior Citizens’ Center. As the evening shift supervisor, one of the community policing strategies that could potentially assist in reducing fear of crime at the Senior Citizens’ Center is to regularly be on foot patrol at the park during evenings, after communicating with them directly at the center. Also, they should put signs to discourage teen-aged kids to skateboard along the pathway to the park and ask community leaders to provide another space for skateboarding. As confirmed in a study written by Antony Pate, et al. (n. d.), “ programs ‘ designed to increase the quantity and improve the quality of contacts between citizens and police’ were generally successful in reducing citizens fear” (p. 35).
