Permanent beat assignments in association with community policing: Assessing the impact on police officers' field activity

Although the permanent assignment of police officers to their beats has lon g been an important goal in community policing, its utility has not been as sessed empirically. Using a multiple time-series quasi-experimental design, the present study reports on an impact assessment of permanent beat assign ment in conjunction with a community policing program implemented in the Ph iladelphia Housing Authority Police Department. Permanent beat assignment i n the treatment sites led to increases in officer-initiated investigative a ctivity (indicating greater responsibility for beats), while no such change s were observed in the comparison sites. Implications for public policy and for conducting police research in public housing are discussed; future res earch directions are suggested.