Which statement describes the Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment's key conclusion?

Which statement describes the Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment's key conclusion?

• A. Patrol intensity does not significantly affect crime rates
• B. Patrol intensity directly reduces crime
• C. Patrol intensity increases crime
• D. Patrol intensity only affects traffic offenses

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is whether changing how much police patrols a beat affects crime levels. The Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment compared areas with more routine patrols, normal patrols, and fewer patrols, and found that crime rates stayed basically the same across these conditions. This shows that simply increasing or decreasing visible patrols did not meaningfully reduce crime, improve a sense of safety, or speed up responses. Therefore, the statement that patrol intensity does not significantly affect crime rates is the best description of what the study found. The other ideas—that more patrol would directly cut crime, that patrol would increase crime, or that patrol only affects traffic offenses—aren’t supported by the findings, which point to patrol density having little impact on overall crime.

The main idea being tested is whether changing how much police patrols a beat affects crime levels. The Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment compared areas with more routine patrols, normal patrols, and fewer patrols, and found that crime rates stayed basically the same across these conditions. This shows that simply increasing or decreasing visible patrols did not meaningfully reduce crime, improve a sense of safety, or speed up responses. Therefore, the statement that patrol intensity does not significantly affect crime rates is the best description of what the study found. The other ideas—that more patrol would directly cut crime, that patrol would increase crime, or that patrol only affects traffic offenses—aren’t supported by the findings, which point to patrol density having little impact on overall crime.