The Will County community supports community policing efforts and wants their law enforcement agencies to be transparent, service-orientated, and committed to their diverse neighborhoods. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore current policing methods and tactics to improve community relationships within Will County, Illinois. Six different focus group studies were completed where 33 participants completed questionnaires and follow-up, in-depth interviews were conducted to gather data on personal police experiences and perceptions. The questionnaire responses were separated into three categories including Likert-scale response questions, dichotomous (yes and no answers), and ranking police tactics by levels of importance. Nine statistically data driven tables were generated into percentage totals that created comparisons of police methods, police tactics, and issues. The main policing tactics that Will County residents expected from their policing agencies were rapid response for service and police professionalism (appearance, conduct, communication skills). The participants expected that police agencies solve major crimes (high-profile murders, assaults, robberies). The lowest ranked police tactics discovered in all 4 subcategories surveyed were aggressive enforcement efforts (even for minor offenses) and traffic enforcement. The participants demonstrated support for community policing efforts that requires law enforcement agencies to work with their neighborhoods. The results of this study can be used to create a policing culture that incorporates traditional policing efforts and combines these efforts with the newer community policing methods that are positively impacting the Will County communities.

Malmskillnadsgatan i Stockholm har trots sitt centrala läge mitt i Stockholm där mycket folk är i rörelse runtom, blivit synonymt med kriminella aktiviteter och blivit en gata som folk anser vara dyster och oattraktiv. Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka hur aspekter inom den bebyggda miljön påverkar aktivitet och trygghet i gatumiljöer samt hur de påverkar människors upplevelse av gatumiljön. Fokus kommer att ligga på Malmskillnadsgatan och det upprustningsprojekt som Vasakronan, tillsammans med Stockholms stad, har utfört. För att uppfylla syftet har en fallstudie av Malmskillnadsgatan gjorts i form av dokumentanalys, platsbesök och intervjuer med brukare samt en anställd på Vasakronan. Arbetet har utgått från ett teoretiskt ramverk där kopplingen mellan bebyggd miljö, attraktivitet och aktivitet samt bebyggd miljö och trygghet har analyserats. De teorier som använts är Gehls perspektiv på attraktiva gatumiljöer. Ewing och Handys fem kvaliteter för ett aktivt gatuliv, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), Broken window theory samt Routine activity theory.  Dokumentanalysen visade att en kombination av brist på utbud av aktivitet, oattraktiv och stängd arkitektur och gatans läge jämfört med omkringliggande gator bidrog till att skapa låg naturlig genomströmning och lågt flöde på gatan. Platsbesöket visade att gatan har förbättrats utifrån flera av de teorier som nämnts i det teoretiska ramverket. De tidigare stängda fasaderna har öppnats upp och införandet av aktivitet i bottenvåning, främst i form av restaurangverksamhet, har bidragit till ett större flöde. Brukarintervjuerna visade att en klar majoritet tyckte att Malmskillnadsgatan blivit mer attraktiv och trygg efter ombyggnationen, dock främst enbart vid fastigheten Hästskon 12. Flera respondenter tycker att övriga delar av gatan fortfarande är oattraktiva och otrygga och bilden av att gatan dör ut på kvällar och helger finns fortfarande kvar. Arkitekturen och införandet av restaurangverksamhet nämndes främst som faktorer som fått gatan att bli mer attraktiv. Flödet av människor som dessa skapat var den främsta orsaken till att flera av respondenterna kände sig trygga. Förslag på ytterligare förbättringar var större variation i aktivitetsutbudet, mer aktiva bottenvåningar på övriga delar av gatan samt bättre belysning. / Malmskillnadsgatan in Stockholm, despite its central location in the heart of Stockholm with a lot of people moving around, has become synonymous with criminal activities and has been perceived as a gloomy and unattractive street. This study aims to investigate how aspects of the built environment affect activity and safety in urban environments, as well as how they influence people's perception of the street environment. The focus will be on Malmskillnadsgatan and the redevelopment project carried out by Vasakronan, in collaboration with the City of Stockholm. To fulfill the purpose, a case study of Malmskillnadsgatan has been conducted through document analysis, site visits, and interviews with users and an employee of Vasakronan. The study is based on a theoretical framework that analyzes the connection between the built environment, attractiveness, and activity and between the built environment and safety. The theories used include Gehl's perspective on attractive street environments, Ewing and Handy's five qualities for vibrant street life, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), the Broken Window theory, and the Routine Activity Theory. The document analysis revealed that a combination of a lack of activity offerings, unattractive and closed architecture, and the street's location compared to surrounding streets contributed to the low natural flow and low activity on the street. The site visit showed that the street has improved according to several of the theories mentioned in the theoretical framework. The previously closed facades have opened up, and the introduction of activities on the ground floor, mainly in the form of restaurants, has contributed to increased flow. User interviews indicated that a clear majority felt that Malmskillnadsgatan had become more attractive and safer after the redevelopment, primarily in the vicinity of Hästskon 12. However, several respondents still found other parts of the street unattractive and unsafe, and the perception that the street dies out in the evenings and on weekends persists. The architecture and the introduction of restaurant activities were primarily mentioned as factors that made the street more attractive. The flow of people they created was the main reason several respondents felt safe. Suggestions for further improvements included greater variety in the range of activities, more active ground floors in other parts of the street, and better lighting.

Hip Hop graffiti has been marking our urban landscapes for decades. However street art, a much less researched topic, has claimed notoriety in recent years. Much of the existing research groups hip-hop graffiti, gang graffiti and street art together and calls for a uniform response from communities, city officials and law enforcement. While street artists have made their mark in the urban landscapes of the United States as well as internationally, it is important to define the terms "street art"and "graffiti" and where they deviate from one another in order for cities to begin to address these expressions with any level of success. As municipalities grapple with visual public expression--street art and graffiti--a framework must be established taking into consideration legal parameters for both cities and artists.