It was the first study to demonstrate that research into the effectiveness of different policing styles could be carried out responsibly and safely.
The first group received no routine patrols, instead the police responded only to calls from residents.
These were taken before the start of the experiment (September 1972), and after (October 1973), giving 'before' and 'after' conditions for comparison.
[3] The Kansas City Police Department drew the conclusion that routine preventive patrol in marked police cars has little value in preventing crime or making citizens feel safe and that resources normally allocated to these activities could safely be allocated elsewhere.
A significant factor realised was that crime prevention was more highly dependent on the willingness of citizens to report suspicious and/or criminal behaviour to police than the levels or types of patrol.