From Call-Taker to Problem-Solver: A Conversation About Crime Prevention That Actually Works

Law enforcement is very good at responding to incidents. But what happens when we begin looking beyond the individual call and asking why the problem keeps happening in the first place?

I recently had the opportunity to join John Gabrielson on The Blue Line Project podcast (via The Crime Reduction Institute Network) for a conversation about crime prevention, evidence-based and problem-oriented policing, and how agencies can move beyond simply responding to recurring problems toward understanding and addressing what is actually driving them.

This is a topic that has become a major focus of my work, both during my law enforcement career and now through Proactive Prevention Strategies.

Watch the podcast here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4raof3H6od8

What We Discussed

During our conversation, John and I discussed what effective crime prevention looks like in the real world and why preventing crime requires more than simply responding effectively after something happens.

We talked about identifying recurring problems, understanding the conditions contributing to them, using research and evidence to help determine what responses are most likely to work, and—just as importantly—measuring whether our efforts actually made a difference.

I also shared some of my experiences from the Oneida City Police Department (NY), where I had the opportunity to put many of these concepts into practice. That experience reinforced something I continue to believe strongly today: evidence-based and problem-oriented policing do not have to be overly academic or complicated. They can—and should—be translated into practical approaches that officers, supervisors, and agencies can realistically use.

Moving From Response to Prevention

Responding to calls will always be a fundamental responsibility of policing. But every recurring problem also presents an opportunity to ask a different question:

What can we do so that we don't have to keep coming back here?

That shift—from responding to individual incidents to identifying and solving the problems behind them—is at the heart of proactive crime prevention.

I appreciate John Gabrielson inviting me onto The Blue Line Project and giving me the opportunity to have this conversation. I hope it encourages other officers, supervisors, analysts, trainers, and law enforcement leaders to continue thinking about how we can make crime prevention more practical, more intentional, and more deeply integrated into everyday policing.

Smarter Policing. Safer Communities.