NCJ Number
187089
Journal
Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2000 Pages: 275-298
Date Published
December 2000
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This study attempts to determine what crime-related issues are of most concern to citizens, and how citizens perceive the police.
Abstract
The study is based on a mail survey that used a geographically focused sampling technique among residents in a small Midwestern town that is home to a regional State university. To discern any differences in concerns among different areas of the town, the sample was stratified according to police department beats. Residents in the northern beats were more concerned about their personal safety, their children’s safety, drugs in their neighborhoods, and the safety of their property than were residents in other areas. Women had significant concerns about their personal safety at night, both indoors and outdoors. The majority of survey respondents thought the police were responsive to the community’s needs but would have liked more friendly interaction between officers and citizens. The police, in addition to sponsoring the survey, sent several lieutenants to seminars on improving police-community relations and participated in a press conference to make citizens aware of their efforts. Study findings add empirical support to the thesis that different communities have different needs and expectations of the police. The findings have serious policy implications for police administrators. Tables, references