This monograph offers an introduction and practical guidelines regarding the development and implementation of two types of surveys that police find increasingly useful: (1) surveys of citizens and (2) surveys of the physical environment. Those conducting a survey must first determine the sample from which they want to obtain data. Random selection is the most popular manner of selecting a representative sample. Surveys can usually be conducted in one of three ways: (1) mailing a questionnaire, (2) questioning by telephone, and (3) personal interviews. Designing the questions requires precision in wording, clarity of thought, and care not to take too much time. Simple data analysis can determine the central tendency, the range of answers, and how representative the sample was. Opinion surveys may themselves help deter crime and reduce fear of crime, while environmental surveys help police quantify the physical characteristics of neighborhoods and link them with specific neighborhood problems. These surveys help identify problems, determine what changes will help solve them, and measure the effectiveness of the efforts.

"Prepared by the Police Executive Research Forum, supported by cooperative agreement number 88-DD-CX-K022"--T.p. verso. Shipping list no.: 93-0638-P. "October 1993."

Executive summary -- Introduction -- Part 1. Surveying citizens : a guide for police. Of what value are surveys? -- Who will be surveyed? -- How many will be sampled? -- How will the respondents be contacted? -- What questions will be asked? -- How to make sense of the data -- Conclusions -- Part 2. Environmental surveys for problem solving : a practical guide. Environmental surveys and problem solving -- The offender and rational decisionmaking -- Environmental surveys in practice -- Developing and using a survey instrument -- Drawing on other data sources -- Conclusions -- Appendix A. Example of a housing complex environmental survey -- Appendix B. Example of a block environmental problem identification survey -- Appendix C. Example of a drug "hot spot" survey -- Appendix D. Example of a situational environmental survey used for analyzing convenience store problems.