For suburban residents, all of the city's economically distressed neighborhoods may seem dangerous and threatening, however, for residents of these poor neighborhoods, it's simply home. Local residents know the real crime-affected areas of each district. This essay will refer to these crime-infested areas within poor communities as “hot spots” or “blighted streets.” Skid-row is generally an economically distressed community area that is plagued by vagrants, criminals, drug addicts, and other individuals deemed to be exiles from normal society (Bittner, 1967). This is an area into which poor, law-abiding citizens do not wish to venture (Bittner, 1967). Because of this stigma, skid-row is an area patrolled by police, who generally take on the role of peacekeepers. Their role as peacekeepers is driven by their ability to apply a great deal of discretion in their policing duties, as well as their need to contain criminal activities found specifically in troubled areas. The police are given a lot of discretion in carrying out their duties. They make decisions on a daily basis whether to arrest an individual for misdemeanors or to give an individual a warning and promise to “keep an eye” on the person or area in the future (Bittner, 1967). When officers make the decision not to make an arrest for a violation, they essentially assume the role of peacekeeper. The officer is trying to influence the actions of individuals, such as those in deprived areas, so that they do not commit further crimes (Bittner, 1967). Even the discretion not to arrest for some crimes is an attempt to contain criminal activities in a specific area, so as not to affect others (Bittner, 1967). Bittner (1967... half of the document... aiming to commit crimes in certain areas, has proven effective (Eck and Spellman, 1986). References Bittner, Egon. (1967). Slum Policing: A Study of the peacekeeping. AmericanSociological Review, 32 (5): 699-715. Brown, Michael K. (1981: Minor Violations and Disturbances In Working the Street Chapter 7 (pp. 182-220). : Russell Sage Foundation. Eck, John E. and Spelman, William (1987). Who Will You Call the Police as a Problem Solver, 33: 31-52 12 (pp. 269-289: M.E. Sharpe Nowicki, Dennis E. (1998) In Geoffrey P. Alpert and Alex Piquero (eds.), Community Policing: Contemporary Readings (pp. 265-274. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.)..