Practice Goals
Disorder policing is a crime-control strategy that represents a shift away from the standard model of policing to a focus on signs of physical and social disorder in neighborhoods. Concentrating on disorderly conditions, such as graffiti or loitering, is thought to send a signal to those who may consider committing a crime that illicit behavior will not be tolerated. Disorder policing does not rely on a single set of tactics, but a diversity of approaches and levels of focus (Weisburd and Eck 2004). Some approaches involve the use of community-based or problem-oriented policing strategies. Others involve the use of more aggressive order-maintenance or zero-tolerance policing strategies. However, the characteristic that unites these approaches is their focus on reducing neighborhood disorder as a mechanism for preventing or reducing crime. Thus, disorder policing can involve a wide variety of tactics, including arrests for misdemeanors (e.g., disorderly conduct, loitering) and citations or other code-enforcement measures for signs of physical disorder such as dilapidated buildings, abandoned cars, and graffiti (Worrall 2002). More community-oriented approaches may include neighborhood cleanup activities such as trash removal or graffiti abatement. There is no set standard for implementing disorder policing, as the application of this method can vary within and across police departments.
Target Areas/Populations
The unit of analysis can include small places (e.g., crime hot spots, problem buildings), smaller police-defined areas (e.g., beats), neighborhoods and selected stretches of roads or highways, and larger police-defined areas (e.g., precincts). Strategies may include engaging residents, local business owners, and other public or private agencies to help identify local problems or develop and implement appropriate responses. Some strategies may focus on specific local problems and thus target specific types of populations. However, the disorder policing approach focuses less on target populations and more on the areas or locations within which disorder policing is implemented.
Practice Theory
Broken-windows theory posits that minor forms of physical and social disorder, if left unattended, lead to a downward spiral of neighborhood decline and serious crime (Wilson and Kelling 1982). It suggests that visual signs of disorder (such as graffiti, aggressive panhandling, prostitution, public urination, public intoxication, garbage, and abandoned cars) signal to residents that social control in the community has broken down, which starts a chain of events that eventually leads to increased levels of crime (Hinkle and Weisburd 2008). The assumption is that the law-abiding citizen and the criminal are aware of visual cues of disorder. Such signs cause law-abiding citizens to fear crime and withdraw from public spaces into the safety of their homes. Criminals perceive decreased levels of informal social control, in that such cues signal that residents do not care about what goes on in the neighborhood; this then opens the streets to increases in the frequency and severity of criminal activity (Gau and Pratt 2008). This theory identifies a relationship between fear and disorder and suggests that police officers can play a substantial role in reducing crime and neighborhood decline, if they focus on controlling disorder and minor crime. However, scholars debate the validity of broken-windows theory vigorously.
Two related, theoretical perspectives that influence the study of disorder policing include deterrence theory and opportunity theories. Deterrence theory posits that crime can be prevented if individuals believe the costs of committing a crime outweigh the benefits (Zimring and Hawkins 1973). Opportunity theories, such as rational choice theory, suggest that individuals weigh the costs and benefits of crime and choose targets that offer maximum reward with minimal effort (Cornish and Clarke, 1987). Such theories are often used to guide some of the approaches to disorder policing, such as problem-oriented policing (Braga and Weisburd 2010).
Practice Activities
Although there is no single specific strategy for implementing disorder policing, a series of methods have been identified that focus on reducing neighborhood disorder. Many of these fall into the following two categories:
- More aggressive, enforcement-based measures such as order-maintenance policing or zero-tolerance policing. Using these approaches, police attempt to impose order though strict enforcement of all laws or ordinance violations (Cordner 1998; Eck and Maguire 2000).
- Less aggressive, community or problem-oriented policing measures. Using these approaches, police attempt to reduce disorder and crime through partnerships with the community and by addressing specific recurring neighborhood problems (Eck and Maguire 2006; Skogan 2006).
Thus, disorder-policing strategies measure success based on the effectiveness of these practices in reducing crime, disorder, or fear and its overall impact on public safety rather than on rapid responses to calls for service or on how police services are allocated (Goldstein 1979; Weisburd and Eck 2004).
