NCJ Number
91602
Journal
Public Administration Review Volume: 43 Issue: 1 Dated: (January/February 1983) Pages: 50-58
Date Published
1983
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Postulating that citizens' satisfaction with a general domain of urban life is largely a function of their assessment of specific parts of that domain, this study examined whether citizens' satisfaction with police protection in their neighborhoods can be explained by citizens' attitudes toward specific aspects of police performance.
Abstract
Data were collected as part of a study of municipal service delivery in Tuscaloosa, Ala. A random sample of 538 citizens were asked by telephone to rate general police protection, response time, and officers' responses to people and compare these services in their neighborhood to those received by other neighborhoods. The three specific aspects of police performance -- response time, police treatment of people, and perceived quality of police service -- were found to be significantly related to overall citizen satisfaction with the police. The study does not provide evidence supporting the logical hypothesis that the levels of citizen satisfaction with services reflect the quality and quantity of service actually provided to them. Tabular data and 20 notes are provided.