Understanding risky facilities

Log onto the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing website at www.popcenter.org for a wealth of information to help you deal more effectively with crime and disorder in your community, including: • Web-enhanced versions of all currently available Guides • Interactive training exercises • On-line access to research and police practices Designed for police and those who work with them to address community problems, www.popcenter.org is a great resource in problem-oriented policing. The problem-solving tool guides are one of three series of the Problem-Oriented Guides for Police. The other two are the problem-specific guides and response guides. The Problem-Oriented Guides for Police summarize knowledge about how police can reduce the harm caused by specific crime and disorder problems. They are guides to preventing problems and improving overall incident response, not to investigating offenses or handling specific incidents. The guides are written for police—of whatever rank or assignment—who must address the specific problems the guides cover. The guides will be most useful to officers who: • understand basic problem-oriented policing principles and methods • can look at problems in depth • are willing to consider new ways of doing police business • understand the value and the limits of research knowledge • are willing to work with other community agencies to find effective solutions to problems. The tool guides summarize knowledge about information gathering and analysis techniques that might assist police at any of the four main stages of a problem-oriented project: scanning, analysis, response, and assessment. Each guide: • describes the kind of information produced by each technique • discusses how the information could be useful in problem-solving • gives examples of previous uses of the technique • provides practical guidance about adapting the technique to specific problems ii Understanding Risky Facilities • provides templates of data collection instruments (where appropriate) • suggests how to analyze data gathered by using the technique • shows how to interpret the information correctly and present it effectively • warns about any ethical problems in using the technique • discusses the limitations of the technique when used by police in a problem-oriented project • provides reference sources of more detailed information about the technique • indicates when police should seek expert help in using the technique. Extensive technical and scientific literature covers each technique addressed in the tool guides. The guides aim to provide only enough information about each technique to enable police and others to …