Friday, May 4, 2012

Dr. Chamard's class makes crime prevention presentations

Dr. Chamard's students in JUST 332-Environmental Crime Prevention made presentations about three Anchorage "hot spots" on May 2 to fellow students and members of the Anchorage Police Department (APD) Community Action Policing (CAP) Team.  Areas of frequent police calls for service are called "hot spots." This course examines how crime can be prevented through environmental design, use of defensible space, and problem oriented policing. Such things as lighting and changes in the layout of physical space can reduce crime by creating areas that invite more public interaction and sending signals that the area is not abandoned or unobserved.

Student teams presented issues and proposed solutions to problems of crime and social disorder associated with three different "hot spots" in Anchorage: a grocery store, a bar in Spenard, and a cluster of bars downtown. Each team spent hours making first-hand physical and social observations of the location, interviewing stakeholders, and researching crime data on the area. Presentations included an outline of the problem, findings, analysis, and proposed solution(s).

See the slideshow below of the presenters.