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Crime and Policing in Rural and Small-Town America: An Overview of the Issues.Series: NIJ Research ReportPublished: September 1995132 pages292,972 bytesbyDr. Ralph A. WeisheitDr. L. Edward WellsDr. David N. FalconeRural Police ProjectDepartment of Criminal JusticeIllinois State UniversityNormal, Illinois 61790-5250Phone: 309-438-5038FAX: 309-438-7289RAWEISH@ILSTU.EDUACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe authors would like to express their thanks tothe National Sheriffs' Association for itscooperation and assistance, with particular thanksto Ms. Theresa Mathews. And, for their commentson earlier drafts of this document, we would liketo thank Sheriff G. C. "Buck" Buchanan of YavapaiCounty, Arizona; Sheriff Carl R. Harbaugh ofFrederick County, Maryland; and Sheriff J. C.Bittick of Monroe County, Georgia. The projecthas benefited enormously from the comments of Dr.Joseph Donnermeyer and Mr. Larry Heisner and fromDr. Mark Hamm's comments on the hate crimessection. The authors also wish to thank Mr.Michael Chitty for his assistance in locating andorganizing much of the hard-to-find literature.Finally, the authors wish to thank Ms. NancyBecker who arranged interviews, transcribed tapes,and took care of a dozen other details to makethis project possible.TABLE OF CONTENTSI. INTRODUCTIONII. THE STUDYThe Literature ReviewInterviewsSummaryIII. WHAT IS RURAL?Conceptual IssuesDemographicEconomicSocial structuralCultural
 
Measurement IssuesAnalytical IssuesRural as a quantitative variable versus atypological categoryRural as a scope condition versus a causalvariableGeneral versus localized analysisRural as a single variable versus many differentvariablesRural as a dependent versus an independentvariableProblematic AssumptionsMagnitude assumptionHomogeneity assumptionImplicit definition assumptionSummaryIV. THE RURAL SETTING OF CRIME AND JUSTICEGeographic IsolationAvailability of GunsEconomic FactorsRace and EthnicityRace in rural areasEthnicity in rural areasRace, ethnicity, and crimeSocial ClimateInformal controlMistrust of governmentReluctance to share internal problemsSummaryV. RURAL AND SMALL-TOWN CRIMEFear of CrimeRural Versus Urban CrimeTrends in Rural CrimeSpecial IssuesGangsAlcohol and drugsVice and organized crimeViolenceHate crimesArsonAgricultural crimesWildlife crimesEmerging issuesSummaryVI. RURAL AND SMALL-TOWN POLICEWho Are Rural Police?Sheriffs vs. Municipal PoliceDepartment SizeThe Effectiveness of Rural DepartmentsStyles of Policing in Rural AreasCommunity PolicingSpecial ProblemsViolence and Rural PoliceSummary
 
VII. OTHER PARTS OF THE SYSTEMThe Practice of LawRural CourtsRural JailsPrisonsSummaryVIII. POLICY AND RESEARCH ISSUES87General IssuesSpecific Areas for Further ConsiderationIX. REFERENCES------------------------------I. INTRODUCTIONPolice practices vary from one area to another,and studying the varieties of police behavior canyield important insights into the role of policein a community. These variations have been notedin regard to styles of policing, bureaucraticstructure, patterns of crime, and the demands oflocal communities. Curiously, most studies ofvariations in police behavior have been conductedin urban settings. By comparison, rural andsmall-town policing has been relatively neglected.Similarly, studies of crime often focus onnational patterns that imply a homogeneity acrossareas, which is patently absurd. And, likestudies of police, studies of crime that doconsider variations from one area to the nextfrequently focus on comparisons among urban areas,occasionally make rural-urban comparisons, butrarely examine differences among rural areas.Neglecting rural policing and rural crime isjustifiable if there is nothing about policing,crime, or the community in rural environments thatprecludes directly applying knowledge from urbanareas. Although the literature on rural crime andjustice is comparatively sparse, it is evidentthat rural environments are distinct from urbanenvironments in ways that affect policing, crime,and public policy.This report examines what is known about crime andpolicing in rural areas and small towns and howthey are shaped by the rural environment. Toplace this discussion in a larger context, it isuseful to consider broad reasons why a study ofrural and small-town policing is important. Thereare several practical reasons for studyingpolicing and rural crime:o Rural crime is a problem and may be increasing.o Rural areas are often used to produce drugs,such as marijuana and methamphetamines.
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