Which study evaluated the effects of random preventive patrol on crime and fear?

Which study evaluated the effects of random preventive patrol on crime and fear?

• A. Newark foot patrol study
• B. Kansas City patrol study
• C. Police pursuits
• D. Directed patrol

Answer: (B)

The key idea is whether simply making patrols more visible at random across city beats reduces crime or makes people feel safer. The Kansas City patrol study tested this by varying patrol levels across different beats—some with heavier patrol, some with normal patrol, and some with essentially no patrol—and then measuring crime rates and residents’ fear of crime. It found no significant differences in crime or in how safe people felt across the different patrol levels. In other words, random preventive patrol by itself didn’t meaningfully deter crime or reduce public fear. This result helped shift thinking toward more targeted approaches, suggesting that directing patrol toward specific problem areas or times (instead of broad, random patrol) is more effective. Other studies focus on different concepts—such as Newark’s foot patrol and its effects on community relations, or strategies like directed patrol and pursuits—but for random preventive patrol’s impact on crime and fear, the Kansas City study is the classic reference.

The key idea is whether simply making patrols more visible at random across city beats reduces crime or makes people feel safer. The Kansas City patrol study tested this by varying patrol levels across different beats—some with heavier patrol, some with normal patrol, and some with essentially no patrol—and then measuring crime rates and residents’ fear of crime. It found no significant differences in crime or in how safe people felt across the different patrol levels. In other words, random preventive patrol by itself didn’t meaningfully deter crime or reduce public fear.

This result helped shift thinking toward more targeted approaches, suggesting that directing patrol toward specific problem areas or times (instead of broad, random patrol) is more effective. Other studies focus on different concepts—such as Newark’s foot patrol and its effects on community relations, or strategies like directed patrol and pursuits—but for random preventive patrol’s impact on crime and fear, the Kansas City study is the classic reference.