Melding Police and Policy to Dramatically Reduce Crime in the City of New Orleans : A Study of the New Orleans Police Department

by Unter, Kevin A.; Scharf, Peter

• ISBN13: 9780773448674
• ISBN10: 0773448675
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-06-03
• Publisher: Edwin Mellen Pr

Summary

In 1996, the New Orleans Police Department implemented the COMSTAT. Within three years of that implementation, murder was cut by over fifty percent, violent crime fell by nearly the same amount, and overall crime was cut by over onethird. The results show that while COMSTAT had a significant impact on the crime trends, the effects were short-lived. Policing variables and sociological variables had little effect on the overall crime trends both individually and when tested together. The fmdings indicate policing variables playa larger role than sociological variables when included together. As another independent test ofthe effects of crime, public opinion data show that the public was very positive towards the NOPD's efforts in dramatically reducing crime and fear of crime in New Orleans during this period. The overall results for policy makers then indicates that reductions in crime resonate positively with city residents and future policy decisions should be made with that goal in mind.

Author Biography

Dr. Unter earned his Ph.D in Political Science from the University of New Orleans. He is Department Head of Gerontology, Sociology, and Political Science at the University of Louisiana, Monroe.