Problem-Oriented Policing to Reduce Crime in Nashville, TN

Statement of the Problem

Law enforcement agencies have made substantial progress in reducing violent crime and property crime rates in many municipalities across the country. The United States can be regarded as significantly safer for its citizenry today compared to the alarmingly high crime rates of the 1990s (Gramlich, 2020). Nevertheless, pockets of persistently high crime remain firmly in place in some American cities despite ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to address these trends.

As the research that follows will show, combating property and violent crime is a challenging enterprise under any circumstances. The devastating effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have adversely affected employment levels in many cities, and a growing number of Americans are facing eviction and hunger. It is not surprising, then, that crime rates remain intractable in cities where unemployment was already a problem. This has been the case in Nashville, Tennessee, where unemployment skyrocketed from just under 5% to 15% during the height of the pandemic (Unemployment Rate in Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, 2021).

The overarching purpose of the study proposed herein is to identify optimal strategies for implementing a problem-oriented policing intervention to help reduce crime rates in Nashville today and in the future, based on the rationale presented below.

Background and Overview of Nashville's Crime Landscape

With a population of approximately 700,000 people, Nashville is Tennessee's state capital and the home of the world-famous entertainment venue the Grand Ole Opry. At present, however, Nashville is also a relatively dangerous place to live compared to national averages (Crime in Nashville, 2020). As shown in Figure 1 at Appendix A, and like much of the rest of the country, property crime remains far more common in Nashville than violent crime (Gramlich, 2020). Still, one in 90 residents is likely to become a victim of violent crime each year, and another one in 24 faces probable victimization from property crimes (Nashville Crime Rates, 2021).

While the economic costs of property crimes are readily quantifiable, the costs associated with violent crimes transcend individual economic calculations and extend to harm affecting entire neighborhoods and communities.

Description of Problem-Oriented Policing

Although there are no magic law enforcement solutions that can completely eliminate violent crime (Giwa, 2018), a growing body of scholarship confirms that problem-oriented policing represents an evidence-based approach to combating this societal issue (Braga et al., 1999). In response to increasing violent crime in some American cities, a number of problem-oriented policing initiatives have been implemented over the past 40 years (Giwa, 2018).

Originally developed by Herman Goldstein in the late 1970s, problem-oriented policing is a framework in which law enforcement authorities apply community-based strategies and tactics focused on providing proactive solutions to chronic sources of violent crime, rather than relying on conventional policing techniques (Hinkle, Weisburd, & Telep, 2020). As originally conceptualized and as currently applied in police departments across the country, the overarching objective of problem-oriented policing is to concentrate available law enforcement resources on improving community safety and reducing violent crime — rather than focusing strictly on quantifiable metrics such as average response time to crime scenes or the number and types of arrests made during a set period (Reisig, 2010).

Evaluation of Problem-Oriented Policing for Nashville

During a period in American history when misguided calls for defunding the police have become commonplace, determining which criminal justice research and evaluation methods are most effective represents a timely and valuable enterprise, especially because taxpayer resources are inherently scarce (Jacobs & Kim, 2020). Any perception on the part of the general public that their money is being squandered on ineffective or obsolete law enforcement methods is, therefore, a significant and justifiable source of concern for police leaders (Boyce, 2019).

In addition to conventional law enforcement practices, the problem-oriented policing model provides useful evaluation methods that can help identify opportunities for community-based interventions specifically focused on violent crime (Schnobrich-Davis & Block, 2020). Furthermore, in a broader sense, problem-oriented policing evaluation methods are highly congruent with other recent trends in criminology (Wooditch, 2021). The SARA model used by the problem-oriented policing approach is applied to Nashville's current situation in Appendix B.

Conclusion and Anticipated Challenges

Some of the more significant roadblocks anticipated in proposing and justifying statistical tests for Nashville, Tennessee as a criminal justice research topic include a lack of information concerning the extent to which especially important stakeholders — such as patrol police officers and adjudicated violent criminals — will be available and willing to participate in a study of this nature. In addition, the nature of the research problem and the corresponding research questions may make other stakeholder respondents reluctant to participate, since many citizens are wary of sharing any information about violent crime in their neighborhoods out of legitimate fear of reprisals.

References

Boyce, A. (2019). A re-imagining of evaluation as social justice: A discussion of the education justice program. Critical Education, 10, 37–42.

Braga, A. A. (2008). Problem-oriented policing and crime prevention. Munsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press.

Braga, A. A., Weisburd, D. L., & Waring, E. J. (1999). Problem-oriented policing in violent crime places: A randomized controlled experiment. Criminology, 37(3), 541–555.

Crime in Nashville. (2020). https://www.areavibes.com/nashville-tn/crime/

Crime and violence. (2020). U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/

Giwa, S. (2018). Community policing in racialized communities: A potential role for police social work. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 1–17.

Gramlich, J. (2020, November 20). What the data says (and doesn't say) about crime in the United States. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/11/20/facts-about-crime-in-the-u-s/

Hinkle, J. C., Weisburd, D., & Telep, C. W. (2020, June 15). Problem-oriented policing for reducing crime and disorder: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 16(2), 37–44.

Jacobs, L. A., Kim, M. E., & Whitfield, D. L. (2020). Defund the police: Moving towards an anti-carceral social work. Journal of Progressive Human Services, 32(1), 19–22.

Nashville crime rates. (2021). Neighborhood Scout. Retrieved from https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/tn/nashville/crime

Neuman, W. L. (2008). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. New York: Allyn & Bacon.

Reisig, M. D. (2010). Community and problem-oriented policing. Crime and Justice, 39, 1–18.

Schnobrich-Davis, J., & Block, S. (2020, September). Analysis of Herman Goldstein problem-oriented policing awards from 1993–2017. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 14(3), 616–629.

Survey toolkit. (2021). Strategies for Policing Innovation. Retrieved from https://www.strategiesforpolicinginnovation.com/sites/default/files/Survey%20Toolkit_5_SARA%20Survey%20Demo.pdf

Unemployment rate in Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro. (2021). Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Economic Research. Retrieved from

Wilkes, N., Anderson, V. R., & Johnson, C. L. (2021). Mixed methods research in criminology and criminal justice: A systematic review. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 37(3), 41–50.

Wood, G. D., & Ellis, R. C. (2003). Risk management practices of leading UK cost consultants. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 10(4), 254–262.

Wooditch, A. (2021). The potential of spatiotemporal methods to improve criminal justice policy and program evaluation. Mason Archival Repository Service. Retrieved from

Appendix A

Figure 1. Daily crime in Nashville (per 100,000 people).

Source: https://www.areavibes.com/nashville-tn/crime

Appendix B: Application of the SARA Model to Nashville

Scan: Increased police patrols of high-crime areas are most effective at night, while community-based interventions that include participation by community leaders are most effective during the daytime (Braga, 2008). Therefore, police departments should collaborate with community leaders in those Nashville neighborhoods that have historically high violent crime rates — including West Meade, Salemtown, Heron Walk, Glencliff, and Bordeaux — to enhance relations and improve the ability of police to proactively prevent violent crimes rather than responding to them after the fact.

Analysis: This step involves narrowing the focus of problem-oriented policing interventions to specific high-crime areas. Research to learn as much as possible about each neighborhood is also essential at this stage.

Response: While conventional law enforcement analytical techniques draw on quantifiable metrics such as arrest type, time, and location, a problem-oriented policing intervention would also incorporate feedback from community leaders and other stakeholders to determine whether additional measures are required.

Assessment: Any problem-oriented policing intervention must be evaluated on a regular basis to determine its effectiveness in achieving intended outcomes, by comparing benchmarked violent crime rates over time.

Source: Adapted from The SARA Model (2020), Arizona State University Center for Problem-Oriented Policing.

Appendix C: Qualitative Measures for the Proposed Study

Research Question Q3 — Are the current policing strategies used in Nashville viewed positively or negatively by police officers on the street?

The answer to this research question will require a subjective analysis using a custom questionnaire that evaluates police officers' current views about the policing strategies in use. The custom questionnaire will be divided into three sections: (1) a demographic section collecting data on time on the job, occupational title, age, and other relevant information; (2) a series of Likert-scaled statements used to quantitatively analyze police officers' views about their current policing strategies; and (3) an open-ended comment section soliciting additional insights and feedback not captured in section two.

The key variables of interest are the prevailing views of Nashville's police force, drawing on the answer developed in response to Research Question 2: "What are the current policing strategies in place in Nashville?" The use of a custom questionnaire is consistent with the guidance provided by Neuman (2008) concerning the collection of primary data, but will require a pilot test using a sample of police officers not included in the final administration of the questionnaire, in order to evaluate the instrument's trustworthiness.

Research Question Q5 — What actions do local business leaders, civic groups, and organizations believe need to be taken to address the crime problem in Nashville?

This research question will require a community survey of these stakeholders. The key variables of interest concern the prevailing views of primary stakeholders in identifying optimal policing strategies for Nashville.

The use of a community survey is highly consistent with guidance provided by the Strategies for Policing Innovation (SPI) organization, one of the key proponents of problem-oriented policing. According to SPI, "Community surveys can play a key role in POP and implementation of the SARA model."

During the Scanning phase, surveys can be used to identify ongoing or emerging public safety problems that affect the local community, often uncovering issues not fully documented in official police data systems. Community surveys can also help narrow the scope of a problem during the Analysis phase, including gathering data on temporal and geographic patterns and why a problem may be occurring.

There are several benefits of community surveys when it comes to brainstorming and prioritizing intervention strategies during the Response phase. Community members may suggest novel or innovative approaches to a problem, and surveys are also useful for gauging community support for intervention strategies proposed by the police. Practices that anger or alienate large sections of the community are unlikely to be productive. Asking people for input on a problem usually increases their commitment to collaboration, and most efforts to prevent crime require some degree of community engagement.

Finally, when it comes to Assessing the outcomes of a problem-oriented policing project, community surveys can be invaluable. Researchers can ask community members about changes they observed in the target problem, their perceived safety, and their satisfaction with police efforts to address the issue (Survey Toolkit, 2021, p. 2).