NCJ Number
62478
Date Published
1979
Length
17 pages
Annotation
THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CRIME RATE, POLICE EMPLOYMENT, AND HYPOTHESIZED INDEPENDENT VARIABLES AFFECTING THE CRIME RATE ARE EXAMINED FOR 252 SURBURBAN COMMUNITIES.
Abstract
A NUMBER OF POSSIBLE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIPS MAY EXIST BETWEEN CRIME RATES AND POLICE EMPLOYMENT: (1) INCREASED CRIME RATES MAY CAUSE INCREASED POLICE EMPLOYMENT DUE TO THE BELIEF THAT INCREASING RESOURCES CAN REDUCE THE CRIME RATE; (2) INCREASED POLICE EMPLOYMENT MAY INCREASE THE CRIME RATE DUE TO AN INCREASE IN ARRESTS AND THE PRECIPITATIVE EFFECT OF EXPANDED LABELLING; AND (3) CRIME RATES AND POLICE EMPLOYMENT MAY BE RECIPROCALLY RELATED. ALSO, ANY OF THESE THREE RELATIONSHIPS MAY BE SPURIOUS. TO TEST THESE HYPOTHETICAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CRIME RATE AND POLICE EMPLOYMENT, APPROPRIATE DATA FOR 252 NORTHERN AND NORTHEASTERN SUBURBS OF THE UNITED STATES WERE EXAMINED USING THE UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS FOR 1970, 1971, AND 1972. DATA WERE ALSO GATHERED FOR INDEPENDENT VARIABLES HYPOTHESIZED TO BE RELATED TO THE CRIME RATE. FINDINGS SHOW THAT CRIME RATES AND POLICE EMPLOYMENT ARE RECIPROCALLY RELATED WHEN A NUMBER OF CAUSALLY PRIOR VARIABLES ARE CONTROLLED. ALSO, THESE RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIPS ARE MORE CONSISTENT WITH A 'LABELLING' PERSPECTIVE THAN A 'DETERRENCE' PERSPECTIVE; THAT IS, INCREASE IN POLICE EMPLOYMENT IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASE IN THE CRIME RATE RATHER THAN WITH ITS REDUCTION. RESULTS ALSO SHOW THAT THE PERCENTAGE OF LOW-INCOME AND BLACK CITIZENS IN A SUBURBAN COMMUNITY AFFECT DECISIONS ABOUT POLICE EMPLOYMENT. THE MODELS PROJECT THAT THE PERCEIVED NEED FOR INCREASED POLICE EMPLOYMENT MAY BE BASED TO SOME EXTENT ON SHIFTS IN THE POVERTY POPULATIONS INTO AND OUT OF A SUBURB. THESE FINDINGS ARE RELEVANT TO SUBURBS ONLY. TABULAR DATA, FOOTNOTES, AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)