NCJ Number
134409
Journal
American Journal of Police Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Dated: (1990) Pages: 25-39
Date Published
1990
Length
15 pages
Annotation
An attitude survey of non-offender recipients of police service was conducted among the 78,137 Milwaukee area residents aged 65 and older to test the hypothesis that specialized police services for the elderly exert a positive influence on how they rate police performance.
Abstract
The findings showed that targeting older persons for service through specialized anti-crime units was successful in fostering favorable attitudes and perceptions about police responsiveness. For example, about 75 percent of elderly victims who received service from specially trained officers felt that the police were very sympathetic to them, while only half the senior citizens who received assistance from regular units felt the same way. Almost four-fifths of senior citizens who received specialized police service were pleased with the effort put forth in their cases, even though the clearance rates did not differ significantly from cases of other elderly victims. 4 notes, 3 tables, and 23 references