COPS(Police) Publications

Acquaintance Rape of College Students
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), August 2003. 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 public safety officers can more effectively prevent the problem.
Assaults in and Around Bars
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), January 2004. This guide 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.
Because Things Happen Every Day: Responding to Teenage Victims of Crime (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)
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
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), August 2004. The guide 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 Drug Labs
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), April 2002. This guide addresses the problem of clandestine drug labs. Offenders manufacture a variety of illicit drugs in such labs, including methamphetamine, amphetamines, MDMA (ecstasy), methcathinone, PCP, LSD, and fentanyl, although methamphetamine accounts 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.
Closing Streets and Alleys to Reduce Crime: Should You Go Down This Road
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), September 2004. This POP Response Guide will assist readers 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
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
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), January 2005. This guide provides a general discussion of the problem of cruising and reviews the factors that contribute to it. The guide also identifies questions to 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
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), June 2002. This guide 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
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), January 2005. 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
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), September 2003. This guide focuses on drug dealing in privately owned apartment complexes. The guide makes a clear distinction between open- and closed-drug markets, provides information on what is known about each market type, and provides 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
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), January 2006. Alcohol impairment is the primary factor in traffic fatalities and 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 this 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 problems. 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
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), June 2004. This guide describes the problem of identity theft and reviews factors that increase the risks of it. The guide also identifies a series of questions that might assist agencies in analyzing their local problem. Finally, it reviews responses to the problem and what is known about these from evaluative research and police practice.
Illicit Sexual Activity in Public Places
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), April 2005. This guide describes the problem of illicit public sexual activity and the factors that contribute to it, including participants, locations, motivations, and transactions. The guide also poses a number of questions to help understand the problem, proposes numerous responses to the problem, and identifies ways to measure the effectiveness of responses to the problem.
Loud Car Stereos
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. It begins by describing the problem and reviewing factors that contribute to it. The guide also identifies a series of questions that might assist agencies analyze their local problem. Finally, it reviews responses to the problem and what is known about these from evaluative research and police practice.
Panhandling
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), September 2003. This guide 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.
Rave Parties
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), August 2004. This guide addresses the problems associated with rave parties. Rave parties – or, more simply, raves – are dance parties that feature fast-paced, repetitive electronic music and accompanying light shows. Raves are the focus of rave culture, a youth-oriented subculture that blends music, art, and social ideals (e.g., peace, love, unity, respect, tolerance, happiness). Rave culture also entails the use of a range of licit and illicit drugs. Drug use is intended to enhance ravers´ sensations and boost their energy so they can dance for long periods.
Robbery at ATMs
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), June 2002. 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
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), August 2005. This guide addresses describes the problem and reviewing the risk factors of school vandalism and break-ins. It also discusses the associated problems of school burglaries and arson. The guide 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.
Stalking
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), March 2006. This guide reviews the problem of stalking and the factors that contribute to it. It identifies a series of questions to help agencies 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.
Theft of and from Cars in Parking Facilities
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.
Underage Drinking
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), September 2004. Addressing the problem of underage drinking, the guide begins by describing the problem and reviewing factors that increase the risks of it. The guide also identifies a series of questions that might assist agencies in analyzing their local problem. Finally, it reviews responses to the problem and what is known about these from evaluative research and police practice