Operation Cul-de-Sac
Solution types
Access Barriers
Problems addressed
Homicides
Interpersonal violence or injuries
Crime and delinquency (multiple types)
Effectiveness

Effective

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Effective

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Life periods served
People of all ages
Where the program was applied
Community (streets or community centers)
Country of application
United States
Description

This program consists of the installation of permanent traffic barriers and access control in high-crime neighborhoods in the city of Los Angeles, and its main objective is to reduce gang violence and homicides in targeted areas.
The main intervention consisted of closing streets for access control, although in the first year this was combined with more intensive levels of surveillance in the areas surrounding the intervention. This was one of the first programs in the country to use this strategy for crime control.

Impact evaluations

An impact assessment showed that, during the two years of the program, there was a statistically significant reduction in homicide, assault, and property crime rates [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Lasley, J. R. (1996). Using Traffic Barriers to "Design Out" Crime: A Program Evaluation of LADP's Operation Cul-de-Sac. Washington, D.C. National Institute of Justice (NIJ). https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/using-traffic-barri….

Information source