Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Reducing Violent Crime through Camera Monitoring of Hot Spots
Site LE Agency
Winston-Salem Police Department
Site Researcher
Denise Nation, Ph.D., Winston-Salem State University
Site Focus
Drugs, Violent Crime
SPI Strategy
Place-based policing, Intelligence-led policing
Site Cohort
2009
Site Profile
Mid-sized urban area of 132.45 sq. miles with a population of 230,978
Project Overview
The Winston-Salem Police Department’s Intelligence-Led Problem-Oriented Policing strategy addressed Part I, Part II, and Quality of Life crimes within the West Salem community – a community similar in composition to the City of Winston-Salem as a whole. This community saw higher Quality of Life victimization rates than the city average, including offenses such as disorderly conduct, vagrancy, and loitering. The primary goals of the Winston-Salem Police Department and the SPI were to implement and institute Intelligence-Led Policing practices and to implement evidence-based policing that was focused through a series of strategies and activities.
Methods and Findings
- In 2008, 41 percent of the violent crimes were found to have occurred in 7.34 percent of the city.
- The SPI reported many positive outcomes:
- Reduction in crimes and calls for service within community
- Directed placement of police to reduce crime versus general placement
- Development of inter-personal relationships between community and police
