Responding to Violence in Cornet City: The Problem- Solving Enterprise

• NCJ Number: 150552
• Author(s): M H Moore; J A Roth; P Kelly; B Coleman-Miller; S Daughtry; J K Stewart
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 174 pages
• Grant Number(s): OJP-89-C-009
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)

Annotation

The violence problem-solving enterprise concept is explored.

Abstract

This document describes the experience of a fictional city in which an especially violent weekend has stimulated the mayor to create a task force to develop a response to the problem of violence. By basing the case study on actual events, town meetings, and readily available public agency data in a real city and one of its neighborhoods, an attempt is made to develop realistic descriptions not only of urban violence, but also of public reaction and the information base available on short notice for planning a response to a siege of violence. The case problem was presented to three practitioners representing the perspectives of community policing, public health, and professional police work aided by modern technology. These practitioners were asked to prepare written solutions to the case problem, then to convene for a full day's discussion of the problem and strategies for response. The concept of a violence problem- solving enterprise was developed out of the responses to emphasize that the process of violence prevention and reduction is a long-term one. Various approaches are compared and contrasted. Themes that emerged from discussions are explained. Three appendixes contain the case study, an analysis of the day's discussion, and the memoranda prepared by the three practitioners.