Problem-oriented policing (POP), coined by University of Wisconsin–Madison professor Herman Goldstein, is a policing strategy that involves the identification and analysis of specific crime and disorder problems, in order to develop effective response strategies.
[2] This strategy places more emphasis on research and analysis as well as crime prevention and the engagement of public and private organizations in the reduction of community problems.
[2] A systematic review of this model, based on 34 randomized control trials and quasi-experimental studies, found that problem-oriented policing is effective at reducing crime and disorder, but had a limited effect on police legitimacy and fear of crime.
As difficult as it is often for police officers to obtain "buy-in" within, it is often even more difficult to convince people outside the police department, such as community partners, to carry out specific tasks faithfully and properly without a negative inference of its inadequacy in satisfying the expectations of the masses.
[3] Michael Scott's 20-year retrospective concludes: "After 20 years, problem-oriented policing has demonstrated an internal logic that has been successfully applied at the project level and remains a promising approach for the foreseeable future.