Urban Crime Control and Prevention in the 1990s: Community Policing

Crime in the United St.:1.tes has captured the nation's attention and defined domestic political priorities, compelling us to reexamine even such simple daily activities as taking a walk or sending children to school. Although 93 percent of the respondents to a recent poll cited by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported that the crime problem should be a top priority for the federal government, the overall crime rate in the United States actually dropped between 1991 and 1993.' What has gone up is the rate of violent crime. According to the FBI, more than fourteen million crimes were reported in 1993, with one violent crime committed every sixteen seconds.3 Not only have crime rates risen, the fear of crime has also increased. This fear is leading to considerable personal, social, and economic cost., and can actually contribute to the crime problem by diminishing the ability of communities to deter crime ..