COMMUNITY POLICING PROBLEM SOLVING GUIDE

1) SCANNING
a) Have you identified a problem?
i) Yes
ii) No. If the answer is "no", conduct a survey of community groups,
neighborhood organizations, churches, civic groups, area activists, business
groups, service organizations and agencies etc.
b) What is your perception of the problem?
c) How do people outside of law enforcement perceive the problem?
d) Is there a difference in the perceptions? If "yes", what is the difference?
e) How serious is the problem?
2) ANALYSIS
a) Who are the involved persons?
i) Offenders/Suspects:
ii) Complainants / Victims:
iii) Others:
b) Where is the problem happening?
i) Physical setting
ii) Social setting
iii) What are the similarities and differences between locations where the
problem is happening and where it is not?
c) Describe the sequence of events.
d) What is the current response to this problem by:
i) Yourself and the Department?
ii) The Community?
iii) Others: (governmental agencies, private sector service providers, etc.)
3) RESPONSE
a) What will be the goal(s) of your POP project? (eliminate, reduce, displace, other)
b) Which legs of the Problem Solving Triangle are you going to attack?
c) What strategies will you use? Check which of the strategies you might use.
i) This list is just a guide and is provided as an informational aid. You are
encouraged to develop your own strategies in addition to these.
(1) Concentrate on individuals who cause a disproportionate amount of
the problem?
(2) Coordinate with or refer to other governmental/private sector service
providers?
(3) Coordinate the police response with other agencies?
(4) Correct inadequacies in services or press for new services?
(5) Use mediation or negotiation skills or services?
(6) Eliminate fear through education and the dissemination of factual
information?
(7) Disseminate information to help citizens solve their problems?
(8) Disseminate information to elicit conformity to laws and regulations that
are not known or understood?
(9) Disseminate information which will prevent citizens from contributing to,
 causing or being victimized by the problem?
(10)Educate the community on the limitations of governmental response?
(11) Mobilize the community and/or develop support for addressing the
problem?
(12)Make use of existing forms of social control?
(13) Alter the physical environment (CPTED) to eliminate or reduce the
opportunity for the problem to recur?
(14) Develop new forms of limited authority which will allow intervention or
detainment?
(15) Use civil law to control public nuisances, offensive behavior, and
conditions that contribute to the problem?
(16)Use the criminal justice system to arrest and prosecute offenders?
(17)Use selective enforcement with specific criteria?
(18)Enforce laws or take action traditionally done by another agency?
(19)Intervene without making an arrest?
(20)Seek new conditions for releasing offenders on probation or parole?
(21)Develop your own creative strategies?
d) Who can assist you in developing these strategies?
i) Other law enforcement personnel?
ii) Public or private agencies?
iii) Community Groups?
iv) Neighborhood /Business Associations?
v) Individual citizens?
e) Obstacles
i) What obstacles exist?
ii) What are the alternatives?
f) What is your plan of action? (Consider using a plan of action form)
g) Implement the plan. (REMEMBER, YOU ARE EMPOWEREDI)
4) ASSESSMENT
a) What are the results of the Plan of Action?
b) How will you monitor the problem to determine if it reoccurs or worsens?