Policing Convenience Store Crime: Lessons from the Glendale, Arizona Smart Policing Initiative

Abstract

The Glendale, Arizona Police Department received funding in 2009 through the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Smart Policing Initiative (SPI). The Glendale team employed problem-oriented policing to address crime and disorder at convenience stores throughout the city. The SPI team’s analysis demonstrated that crime was disproportionately occurring at Circle K stores and that store management practices were largely responsible for the crime problem. The Glendale SPI team developed a multipronged response that included intervention with Circle K leadership and the implementation of prevention and suppression strategies. Results indicate that crime dropped significantly at the SPI target stores (42%) from the year preceding the intervention to the year after. This decline is inconsistent with crime patterns witnessed at the remaining convenience stores in the city of Glendale. The article concludes with a discussion of how police departments can successfully engage with private sector corporations on issues of crime, disorder, and community safety.