Drug Crimes in the City of Atlanta

Drug Crimes in the City of Atlanta
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Drug Crimes in the City of Atlanta
One of the rampant crimes in the city of Atlanta is drugs. The National Drug Intelligence Center (2010) notes that the principal drug crimes that are usually seen in the city of Atlanta include the abuse and distribution of cocaine and the manufacture and use of methamphetamine. Other minor drug threats in the city include the sale of controlled prescription drugs and the sale of heroin. Notably, the city of Atlanta has been identified as a cash consolidation center for the various Mexican drug cartels with operations in the Eastern part of the United States (National Drug Intelligence Center, 2010). An aspect of the Drug crimes in the city of Atlanta that has not been researched is the perspectives of community members on the issue of drug offenses and how it is addressed by law enforcement and community organizations.
Population and Sampling
The population of interest would be community members living in neighborhoods in the city of Atlanta that have a high incidence of drug offenses. The population size is not known, but it is assumed to be large. The population is likely to be diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status.
A multi-stage sampling would be used to recruit the participants for the study. In the first stage, a sample of neighborhoods in the city of Atlanta that have a high incidence of drug offenses would be selected using a probability sampling technique such as simple random sampling or stratified random sampling (Sedgwick, 2015). In the second stage, a sample of community members would be selected within each identified neighborhood using a non-probability sampling technique such as convenience sampling or snowball sampling (Sedgwick, 2015).
The sampling process would heavily rely on existing data. The city of Atlanta has data on the incidence of drug offenses by neighborhood, which can be used to select the sample of neighborhoods in the first stage of sampling. Additionally, there is existing data on the demographic characteristics of the population living in each neighborhood, which can be used to describe the population.
Variables of Interest
The independent variables in the study shall be neighborhood characteristics and law enforcement strategies. Neighborhood characteristics describe the information about the neighborhood where the community member lives, such as the crime rate of drug offenses, socio-economic conditions, population density, and the presence of community organizations or institutions. A conceptual definition of the variable is the physical and social characteristics of the neighborhood where the community member lives. Neighborhood characteristics will be measured using quantitative data collected from the participants using close-ended questions.
Law enforcement strategies define the data describing information about the neighborhood where the community member lives, such as the crime rate of drug offenses, socio-economic conditions, population density, and the presence of community organizations or institutions. The conceptual definition of the variable is the actions and policies implemented by law enforcement in the ...