Deterring Crime Through Design

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is based on a set of four design and usage concepts that can lead to a reduction in the incidence and fear of crime, and an improvement in the quality of life. CPTED helps to deter crimes of opportunity by making it more difficult for an offender to commit a crime and escape without being stopped or detected. These concepts are defined briefly as follows:

• CPTED for Urban Villages (PDF: 147K)


• Surveillance: Involves the location and use of physical features, electrical and mechanical devices, activities, and people to maximize visibility. Creates a risk of detection for intruders and offenders, and a perception of safety for legitimate users.
• Access control: Employs people, electrical and mechanical devices, and natural measures to create a perception of risk to offenders and deny them access to targets. Also guides legitimate users safely through the environment.
• Territoriality: Uses physical features and activities to express ownership and control of the environment. Promotes neighborhood pride. Discourages presence of outsiders by delineating private and semi-private spaces, controlling the movement of people and vehicles, and making someone responsible for maintaining all spaces in the neighborhood.
• Maintenance: Allows the continued use of space for its intended purposes. Maintains the effectiveness of measures employed for surveillance, access control, and territoriality.

The San Diego Police Department's philosophy of Community Oriented Policing recognizes the need for partnerships with other elements of the community to identify and solve neighborhood crime and disorder problems, and where practical, to create an environment in which problems do not arise. In land development, the SDPD participates in preliminary project reviews and suggests alternative design measures that will help prevent crime in the project. It also applies CPTED concepts and measures in solving crime and disorder problems in existing neighborhoods and properties. Questions about these concepts and measures should be directed to the Neighborhood Policing Resource Team at (619) 533-5757.