Assignment 1: History and Future of Problem-Solving

Problem-solving was first described by Professor Herman Goldstein. He authored the book Problem-Oriented Policing and has been at the forefront of this topic since its inception. Goldstein’s research concluded that police agencies generally respond only after something occurs.

He noticed that the police respond numerous times to the same crime or problem area and never ask questions as to why the crime or problem is reoccurring.

The need to look for the underlying cause, to analyze and respond in order to actually resolve the problem, and then to measure the success of the response became tenets of this problem-solving model. Goldstein, in a series of short interviews, describes the history and application of problem-solving in policing.

Visit the Center for Community-Oriented Policing website (the link is provided in the Webliography) and watch the eight video interviews of Goldstein.

Submission Details:

• By Saturday, March 18, 2017, in a minimum of 250 words, post to the Discussion Area your responses to the following:
  • Describe the importance of problem-solving as a key component of the community policing philosophy.
  • Provide an overview of the type of issues that can be addressed using the SARA problem-solving model.
  • Explain why you feel problem-solving emerged as a formalized method to resolve community problems.
• By Wednesday, March 22, 2017, read and respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts. Comment on why a problem-solving approach would be more effective than a reactionary approach to the problem presented.

Discussion Grading Criteria and Rubric

All discussion assignments in this course will be graded using a rubric. This assignment is worth 40 points. Download the discussion rubric and carefully read it to understand the expectations.