GlossaryStaffing, accountability, and public reporting
Problem-oriented policing
Problem-oriented policing is an approach that identifies recurring public-safety problems, analyzes their underlying conditions, develops a response, and assesses the result.
Problem-oriented policing is an approach that identifies recurring public-safety problems, analyzes their underlying conditions, develops a response, and assesses the result. The focus is the problem rather than repeatedly handling isolated incidents without examining their connection. It does not require one prescribed enforcement action or guarantee a successful outcome.
From incidents to a problem
The DOJ COPS Office describes scanning, analysis, response, and assessment, often abbreviated SARA, as a structured problem-solving model. Scanning identifies a problem; analysis studies its conditions; response addresses it; assessment examines what changed.
The method can use several kinds of evidence, including incident records and community information. A cluster on a map can suggest a question for analysis, but it does not by itself explain the cause or determine the appropriate response.
Example
Hypothetical example: Repeated calls concern disputes around a venue's closing time. Analysts and community partners examine when and why the problems occur. The response includes agreed management changes, followed by a review of calls and residents' experience.
The sequence illustrates problem-oriented work. Simply assigning more patrols without documenting the analysis or assessment would not show that the complete process occurred. Nor would a reduction in calls alone establish that the underlying problem disappeared.
Common confusion
Responding well to an individual call is important but differs from examining a recurring problem. Crime analysis can support the approach without being the entire decision process.
Problem-oriented policing also differs from a strategy defined solely by geography. A problem can involve a repeated behavior, setting, or relationship across several places.
Source and evaluation
Read the actual problem definition, evidence, response rationale, and assessment period. Preserve the distinction between actions delivered and results achieved. Changes in reporting access or willingness to call can affect measured totals and should be considered when interpreting an intervention.