An experiment testing preventive patrol strategies was conducted by the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department for a 12 month period in 1972 1973 (Kelling, Pate, Dieckman, & Brown, 1974). The findings and conclusions of the experiment were controversial, in that they conflicted with (1) traditional perceptions of the value and role of police partols, and (2) the findings and conclusions of other studies.
This research presents the findings of a secondary analy sis of the Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment. The find ings of this secondary analysis are presented in separate dis cussions related to the Experiment's (1) method, (2) results, and (3) conclusions.
The experiment involved "variations in the level of rou tine preventive patrol within" selected Kansas City police beats (Kelling, et al, 1974, p. 3). Three variations of patrol activity were used. The participating patrol beats were equally divided into groups designated (1) control, (2) reac tive, and (3) proactive. In the control beats, patrol activity was maintained at the department's customary level. In reac tive beats, routine patrol activity was eliminated, and
1 2officers responded only to calls for service. In proactive beats, the level of patrol activity was intensified to levels two to three times that of the department's customary level.
Hypotheses to be tested in the experiment were stated in the null form. It was hypothesized that:
1. The crime rate would not vary as a consequence of patrol type.
2. Citizen perception of police service would not vary as a consequence of patrol type.
3. Citizen behavior, and levels of citizen fear would not vary as a consequence of patrol type.
4. Police response time, and citizen satisfaction with that response time would not vary as a consequence of patrol type.
5. The rate of traffic accidents would increase in proactive beats. The data required to test the hypotheses were coll...