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Citizen Ratings of the Importance of Community Policing Activities (From Community Policing: Contemporary Readings, P 427-444, 1998, Geoffrey P. Alpert and Alex Piquero, eds. -- See NCJ-181382)

NCJ Number
181395
Author(s)
Vincent J. Webb; Charles M. Katz
Date Published
1998
Length
18 pages
Annotation
A survey of a random sample of 450 residents of Omaha, Nebraska, in 1994 gathered information on citizen opinions of the importance of community policing activities and the factors that might influence citizen assessments of the importance of these activities.
Abstract
The participants were all age 18 years and over. The questions on police were part of a larger set of questions about local problems and municipal services. About 87 percent of the participants were white, about 54 percent were married, and about 53 percent were female. Therefore, the sample was representative of the larger Omaha community. The community regarded preventive community policing activities that are usually considered as affecting crime indirectly as being less important than enforcement activities regarded as having a more direct on crime. The ratings were lowest for "broken windows" community policing activities such as neighborhood cleanups and graffiti removal and highest for proactive enforcement activities such as investigating gang activities and conducting drug sweeps. Findings did not suggest the implication that public understanding of community policing will enhance public support for its practice. Future research should continue to explore the link between the public's knowledge and understanding of community policing and their assessment of community policing tactics and strategy and should include other factors such as citizen political ideology. Tables, note, and 29 references