Controlling Drug and Disorder Problems: The Role of Place Managers*

Abstract

This article explores the role of place managers in controlling drug and disorder problems on 100 street blocks in Oakland, California. We use self‐reports from a sample of place managers to explore their role in changing the social and physical conditions of street‐block activity within the context of a randomized field trial in Oakland. On‐site observations of the changes in the social and physical conditions of 100 street blocks were conducted and used as our outcome measures. Our results suggest that street blocks where place managers engaged in collective crime control activities had significantly fewer signs of disorder and greater levels of civil behavior. Our results also show that community cohesiveness on a street block was associated with fewer males selling drugs

Controlling Drug and Disorder Problems: A Focus on Oakland's Beat Health Program

“…We found that the fifty experimental street blocks targeted by the Beat Health program were also places that evidenced decreases in signs of disorder, decreases in males selling drugs, and increases in signs of civil behavior in public places when the social observation data were analyzed (Mazerolle, Roehl and Kadleck, 1998). Our finding that drug problems were more effectively controlled in the experimental sites (by the Beat Health Unit) than in the control sites (Patrol Division) were also supported in the calls for service data.…”

“…We found that the level of place manager collective involvement in community activism was associated with decreases in signs of disorder and with increases in levels of signs of civil behavior in public places on the street blocks in our study. Levels of perceived street block cohesiveness were found to play a significant role in decreases in males selling drugs (Mazerolle, Kadleck and ' Roehl, 1998; see also Sampson, Raudenbush and Earls, 1997;Taylor, 1996). Individual, direct actions (e.g., calling 91 1) taken by place managers in an attempt to solve problems at specific target locations, however, were not associated with decreased levels of social and physical disorder on the street blocks in our study.…”

“…Much of the contact with property owners was for the purpose of gathering information, yet in a number of sites, property owners were directly involved in the problem-solving interventions (see Mazerolle, Kadleck and Roehl, 1998).…”

“…The Beat Health Unit begins by visiting nuisance locations and establishing working relationships with place managers or with those people who are thought to have a stake in improving the conditions of a target location (see Mazerolle, Kadleck and Roehl, 1998; see also Eck, 1994;Felson, 1995). Place managers comprise two types of people: (1) landlords, managers, and owners of a property, or (2) individuals who live, work, andor own property near the nuisance location.…”

Systematic Social Observation of Public Spaces: A New Look at Disorder in Urban Neighborhoods

“…An exception to the lack of independent observations of disorder at the level of ecological units rather than persons is found in research by Taylor and colleagues (Taylor, Shumaker, and Gottfredson 1985;Taylor, Gottfredson, and Brower 1984;Covington and Taylor 1991;Perkins et al 1992;Perkins and Taylor 1996; see also Mazerolle, Kadleck, and Roehl 1998). 5 Using observations conducted by teams of trained raters walking the streets, Taylor et al (1985) assessed 20% of all occupied face blocks in 66 Baltimore neighborhoods.…”