Resource Title	PDF	TXT	Abstracts
Acquaintance Rape of College Students	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), July 2006.  Rape is one of the most common violent crimes on American college campuses today. This guide describes the problem of acquaintance rape of college students, addressing its scope, causes, and contributing factors; methods for analyzing it on a particular campus; tested responses; and measures for assessing response effectiveness. With this information, police and campus public safety officers can more effectively prevent the problem.
Assaults in and Around Bars, 2nd Edition	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), September 2006.  This problem oriented guide for police outlines the link between alcohol and violence according to physiological, social, and situational effects intending to assist law enforcement in preventing and improving the overall response to assaults in and around bars. The guide begins by reviewing factors that increase the risks of assaults in and around bars. It then identifies a series of questions that might assist law enforcement in analyzing their local problem of assaults in and around bars. Finally, it reviews responses to the problem and what is known about these from evaluative research and police practice (2nd Edition).
Because Things Happen Every Day: Responding to Teenage Victims of Crime - Video	Video		National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), 2005.  Meant for anyone who works with teenagers and who might be in a position to identify and support teen victims, the 20-minute video illustrates the importance of a collaborative community response to teenage victims of crime.  It will foster a greater understanding of the impact of crime and violence on teens and the obstacles they face in seeking help.  The video features two innovative programs that have been effective in reaching and responding to teen victims and includes voices of teens describing their experiences with crime and how they recovered their confidence and hope.  A companion discussion guide is available.
Because Things Happen Every Day: Responding to Teenage Victims of Crime - Discussion Guide	PDF	TXT	National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), 2005.  Companion discussion guide for the 20-minute video.  The video illustrates the importance of a collaborative community response to teenage victims of crime.  It will foster a greater understanding of the impact of crime and violence on teens and the obstacles they face in seeking help.  The video features two innovative programs that have been effective in reaching and responding to teen victims and includes voices of teens describing their experiences with crime and how they recovered their confidence and hope.
Check & Card Fraud	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), August 2004.  This problem-oriented guide for police covers fraud involving all types of checks and plastic cards, including debit, charge, credit, and "smart" cards. Each can involve a different payment method. It then identifies a series of questions to help agencies analyze their local problem. Finally, it reviews responses to the problem, and what is known about them from evaluative research and police practice.
Clandestine Methamphetamine Labs, 2nd Edition	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), August 2006.  This problem-oriented guide for police addresses the problem of clandestine drug labs. Offenders manufacture a variety of illicit drugs in such labs with methamphetamine accounting for 80 to 90 percent of the labs total drug production. Accordingly, the problem of clandestine drug labs is closely tied with the problems associated with methamphetamine abuse. This guide is an essential tool for law enforcement to help analyze and develop responses to their local clandestine methamphetamine lab problem (2nd Edition).
Closing Streets and Alleys to Reduce Crime: Should You Go Down This Road	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), September 2004.  This response guide will assist police with determining whether closing streets and alleys is an appropriate response to problems being confronted in their local neighborhood or community. The guide discusses why street closings might help to reduce crime and disorder, summarizes the literature on their effectiveness, and discusses the arguments for and against their use. The guide also provides lists of questions that should be asked and steps that should be followed when implementing street closures.
Creating an Effective Stalking Protocol	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), September 2002.  This monograph is designed to help law enforcement agencies improve their responses to stalking. It focuses on the need to establish collaborative partnerships with the community and to develop protocols to help law enforcement address stalking more effectively. The COPS Office funded the National Center for Victims of Crime to develop and field test a Model Stalking Protocol. The Protocol was tested by the Philadelphia Police Department. This publication addresses how law enforcement agencies can implement a Model Stalking Protocol for early intervention, preventive action, and proactive problem-solving in stalking cases.
Cruising	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), January 2005.  Cruising is a pastime largely confined to downtown areas, often referred to as "unnecessary repetitive driving." This guide provides a general discussion of the problem of cruising and reviews the factors that contribute to it. The guide also identifies questions law enforcement should ask when dealing with a cruising problem, proposes numerous responses to the problem, and identifies ways to measure the effectiveness of responses to the problem.
Disorderly Youth in Public Places	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), July 2006.  Disorderly youth in public places constitute one of the most common problems facing many police agencies. This problem-oriented guide for police provides a general discussion of the problem of disorderly youth in public places and reviews the factors that contribute to it. The guide also identifies questions to ask when dealing with a disorderly youth problem, proposes numerous responses to the problem, and identifies ways to measure the effectiveness of responses to the problem.
Drug Dealing in Open Air Markets	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), August 2006.  Open-air markets represent the lowest level of the drug distribution network. Low-level markets need to be tackled effectively to reduce the harms that illicit drug use can inflict on the local community. This guide describes the problem and reviews the factors that increase the risks of drug dealing in open-air markets. The guide then identifies a series of questions that might assist agencies in analyzing their local problem and reviews responses to the problem and what is known about these from evaluative research and police practice.
Drug Dealing in Privately Owned Apartment Complexes	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), August 2006.  This problem-oriented guide for police focuses on drug dealing in privately owned apartment complexes. It clearly distinguishes between open- and closed-drug markets, provides information on what is known about each market type, and offers questions to ask when analyzing each market. It also proposes various responses designed to closed-drug markets and provides a full range of problem-specific measures to determine the effectiveness of those responses.
Drunk Driving	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), February 2006.  Alcohol impairment is the primary factor in traffic fatalities in the United States and drunk driving is among the most common types of arrest made by police. This problem-specific guide for police begins by describing the problem of drunk driving and reviews the factors that increase its risks. It then identifies a series of questions that can help law enforcement analyze their local drunk driving problem. Finally, it provides an overview of responses to the problem of drunk driving and examines what is known about the effectiveness of these responses from research and police practice.
Identity Theft	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), June 2004.  Alcohol impairment is the primary factor in traffic fatalities in the United States and drunk driving is among the most common types of arrest made by police. This problem-specific guide for police begins by describing the problem of drunk driving and reviews the factors that increase its risks. It then identifies a series of questions that can help law enforcement analyze their local drunk driving problem. Finally, it provides an overview of responses to the problem of drunk driving and examines what is known about the effectiveness of these responses from research and police practice.
Illicit Sexual Activity in Public Places	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), April 2005.  There are widely different perspectives on public sexual activity. Some do not believe the behavior constitutes a public safety threat; some view the behavior as a "victimless crime" involving two consenting partners; and some see the behavior as a threat to the community's "moral decency." This guide is intended to inform law enforcement about the effectiveness and consequences of various approaches to controlling public sexual activity.
Loud Car Stereos	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), May 2002.  This guide addresses the problem of loud car stereos, one of the most common sources of noise complaints in many jurisdictions. Police are concerned about loud car stereos for two main reasons: 1) they can be a public disturbance, and 2) they inhibit drivers' ability to hear emergency signals on the road. This guide will help law enforcement analyze their local problem. It also reviews responses to the problem of loud car stereos and what is known about these from evaluative research and police practice.
National Summit on Campus Public Safety	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), September 2004.  By some estimates, 85 percent of the nation's critical infrastructure is protected by private security. The need for coordination, staffing, and special resources after a terror attack, and the demands of crime prevention and response, require boosting the level of partnership between public policing and private security. This new IACP publication reports on a meeting of leaders in law enforcement and private security to discuss public-private cooperation and details their specific recommendations.
Panhandling	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), September 2003.  This problem-oriented guide for police addresses the problem of panhandling. It also covers nearly equivalent conduct in which, in exchange for donations, people perform nominal labor such as cleaning the windshields of cars stopped in traffic, holding car doors open, saving parking spaces, guarding parked cars, buying subway tokens, and carrying luggage or groceries. This guide will help law enforcement understand the factors that contribute to their local panhandling problems and develop effective responses.
Problem-Solving Tips: A Guide to Reducing Crime and Disorder through Problem-Solving Partnerships	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), July 2006.  Intended as a reference for those who are interested in implementing a problem-solving approach, this guide contains information and insights into the process. It will take the reader step by step through solving problems, offer examples of problem-solving from the field, and provide links to additional resources.
Researching a Problem	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), April 2005.  This guide, one of the Problem-Solving Tools Series, summarizes 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. This tool takes the mystery out of conducting research on problems by helping the user to define their problem, use technology to conduct Internet searches, get advice from experts, visit libraries, and evaluate their primary sources of information. The guide offers helpful hints to understanding and identifying responses to problems based on the research gathered.
Robbery at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs)	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), August 2006.  This guide addresses the robberies of people using automated teller machines (ATM) and night cash depositories. It includes a description of the problem and reviews factors that increase the risks of ATM robbery. The guide also includes a series of questions designed to help analyze any local ATM robbery problem. Finally, it reviews responses to the problem and what evaluative research and police practices have shown about them.
School Vandalism & Break-Ins	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), August 2005.  The term school vandalism refers to willful or malicious damage to school grounds and buildings or furnishings and equipment. This guide describes the problem and reviews the risk factors of school vandalism and break-ins. It also reviews the associated problems of school burglaries and arson. The guide then identifies a series of questions to help law enforcement analyze their local problem. Finally, it reviews responses to the problem, and what is known about them from evaluative research and police practice.
Stalking	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), March 2006.  Stalking creates uncertainty, instills fear and can completely disrupt lives. This guide reviews the problem of stalking and the factors that contribute to it. It identifies a series of questions to help law enforcement analyze their local problem. Finally, it reviews responses to the problem of stalking and what is known about them from evaluative research and police practice.
Student Party Riots	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), April 2006.  Alcohol-related riots among university students pose a significant problem for police agencies that serve college communities. This guide provides a framework for understanding student gatherings. The framework can be used to investigate the local problem of student party riots and to develop proactive strategies to reduce the potential for student violence. This guide also summarizes interventions used to control past disturbances.
Theft of and from Cars in Parking Facilities	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), January 2002.  This guide summarizes information on risk factors and evaluates published literature on dealing with such thefts in parking facilities. It also identifies information police should collect to understand and respond effectively to their local problem. The guide covers both thefts of and thefts from cars in parking facilities. Each category of theft covers a wide range of offenses committed by different groups of offenders with different motivations. This guide will help law enforcement analyze and develop responses to their local problem.
Underage Drinking	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), August 2006.  Underage drinkers experience a wide range of alcohol-related health, social, criminal justice, and academic problems. This guide identifies a series of questions that might assist law enforcement in analyzing their local problem. It also reviews responses to the problem and what is known about these from evaluative research and police practice.
Using Analysis for Problem-Solving: A Guide Book for Law Enforcement	PDF	TXT	Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), August 2006.  This guide provides law enforcement practitioners with a resource for conducting problem analysis. It summarizes many challenges of the analysis phase of the problem-solving process. This book builds on the foundation presented in Problem-Solving Tips: A Guide to Reducing Crime and Disorder Through Problem-Solving Partnerships, and complements the Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Series. The guide also identifies tools for analysis and proposes tips for effectively using each tool.