Importance Of Police Skid Row

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Police are required to maintain a balance between keeping the peace and enforcing the law, but is this appropriate for officers assigned to police skid row? According to Bittner (1967), policing skid row requires a certain set of practical skills. Officers assigned to police skid row assume the role of peacekeeper and use the strategy of containment. The practical skills needed to police skill row are based on personal feelings and judgments. Containment is a very informal approach allowing particular crimes to occur within a specific area as long as they do not grow to endanger society or harm its inhabitants. Containment relies on a great deal of discretionary freedom and the decision not to enforce such particular crimes rests on an understanding …show more content…

Bittner (1967) describes skid row as “the natural habitat of people who lack the capacities and commitments to live ‘normal’ lives on a sustained basis (Bittner, 1967, pg 705).” Skid row is the area where those who have nothing less to lose come together. Police officers assigned to skid row are usually assigned for long periods of time so they get to know the population they serve. The police officer assigned to skid row allows particular crimes to continue to protect those on skid row from each other and more severe crimes. It is because the police officer assigned to skid row allows disorder to continue, but continue contained, that reduces the chances of serious crime against the general public and the inhabitants of skid row (Bittner, …show more content…

Although it is very similar to community policing due to the reliance on citizen involvement, the two are not interchangeable. Problem solving is rooted in community policing because it involves getting to the root of a public nuisance, but it does not rely on continued citizen cooperation. Problem solving policing, a term which was coined by Herman Goldstein in 1979, relies on a citizen complaints of disorder or nuisances that are then strategically investigated in depth by problem solving police officers. Problem solving policing involves finding the reason why crime occurs rather reacting when such crime occurs (Eck and Spelman, 1987). Problem solving policing is not part of the containment strategy used by police officers assigned to skid row. Problem solving policing is on the opposite side of the spectrum compared to containment, because containment allows such disorders, which would be investigated under the problem solving strategy, to continue. By suggesting problem solving policing should be part of containment, mixed messages are being sent to officers in charge of skid row (Nowicki,

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