60 Steps Revisited: Step 45 – Choose Responses Likely To Be Implemented

Back in 2009, I did a series of posts covering the excellent book Crime Analysis For Problem Solvers. The book is published by the US DOJ's Problem Oriented Policing Center (POP Center). Because of the value I think this book has for crime analysts, and policing in general, I am going to re-post this series on here on the blog.

For several months, I have been posting about chapters in the book Crime Analysis For Problem Solvers. This book is published by the Department of Justice funded Center For Problem Oriented Policing. The book is divided up into 60 chapters or “steps” that in the authors’ words:

… prepares you for this new role by providing you with a basic knowledge of problem-oriented policing and the related fields of environmental criminology and situational crime prevention.

In this post we’ve made it to Step 45 – Choose Responses Likely To Be Implemented. One of the reasons for a book like this is because problem oriented policing can be complicated. If your problem was easy, it probably wouldn’t be a problem now would it?

You’ve gone to all the trouble to study and evaluate your problem, you may even have a proposed solution, but if the solution isn’t likely to be implemented have you really solved your problem? You have to come up with a solution that is likely to be implemented.

The authors’ list five main obstacles to implementation of any solution.

1. Unanticipated technical difficulties.
2. Inadequate supervision of implementation.
3. Failure to coordinate action among different agencies.
4. Competing priorities.
5. Unanticipated costs.

These obstacles are discussed with an example from a problem oriented policing project to reduce school vandalism. Hit the link to read the original chapter. There are some good insights that may help you to avoid pitfalls in your own problem’s solution.

Next time, we’ll cover Step 46 – Conduct A Process Evaluation.