NCJ Number
56564
Date Published
1978
Length
240 pages
Annotation
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL RESPONSES OF CITIZENS IN FOUR MASSACHUSETTS COMMUNITIES TO POLICE SERVICES WERE CONSIDERED, WITH EMPHASIS ON SOURCES OF FEAR ABOUT CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION AND ON POLICE PERFORMANCE.
Abstract
DATA USED IN THE STUDY WERE DERIVED FROM A LARGER INVESTIGATION CONCERNED WIITH THE FEASIBILITY OF MONITORING PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES. FIVE MAJOR PUBLIC SERVICES WERE EXAMINED IN THIS INVESTIGATION (POLICE, HOUSING, WELFARE, FIRE AND SANITATION) IN FOUR COMMUNITIES (WORCESTER, SPRINGFIELD, PITTSFIELD, AND FITCHBURG). TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ON POLICE SERVICE DELIVERY, INFORMAL INTERVIEWS WERE HELD WITH KEY POLICE OFFICIALS, TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH CITIZENS, AND ARCHIVAL INFORMATION WAS OBTAINED CONCERNING POLICE RESPONSES TO SERVICE REQUESTS OVER A SELECTED PERIOD. ALL USABLE POLICE DISPATCHES WERE CLASSIFIED INTO ONE OF SIX GENERAL CATEGORIES: CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS, CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY, PEACEKEEPING INCIDENTS, DOMESTIC DISTURBANCES, ACCIDENTS AND MEDICAL EMERGENCIES, AND ROUTINE POLICE WORK. ELAPSED RESPONSE TIMES WERE DIVIDED INTO THREE CATEGORIES: (1) DISPATCH QUEUE, 120 MINUTES; (2) ORGANIZATIONAL QUEUE, 180 MINUTES; AND (3) TOTAL RESPONSE TIME, 300 MINUTES. THE ORGANIZATION OF POLICING IN THE FOUR COMMUNITIES WAS ASSESSED IN TERMS OF RANK STRUCTURE AND PERSONNEL STRENGTH, DEPLOYMENT OF PATROL FORCE PERSONNEL, OPERATING POLICIES (CRIME PREVENTION AND DETECTION), AND PROBLEMS IN POLICE WORK. THE STUDY ASSUMED THAT A GOOD SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM PRODUCES CITIZEN SATISFACTION WITH POLICE PROTECTION, LESS WORRY ABOUT VICTIMIZATION, AND POSITIVE EVALUATION OF POLICE PERFORMANCE. FINDINGS INDICATED THAT CITIZEN PERCEPTIONS OF CRIME PROBLEMS IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND SATISFACTION WITH POLICE PROTECTION WERE SEPARATE BUT RELATED PHENOMENA. SATISFACTION WITH POLICE PROTECTION WAS PRIMARILY A FUNCTION OF POLICE USAGE, POLICE VISIBILITY, AND POLICE COMPORTMENT. RESPONDENT STATUS CHARACTERISTICS AND PLACE OF RESIDENCE WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO SOCIAL EMOTIONAL RESPONSES OF CITIZENS TO POLICE SERVICES. OBSERVED DIFFERENCES IN POLICE RESPONSE AND EFFORT ON CALLS, AS MEASURED BY AVERAGE RESPONSE QUEUE TIMES, WERE ATTRIBUTED LARGELY TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE TOTAL VOLUME OF CALLS GENERATED BY A NEIGHBORHOOD. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT FURTHER RESEARCH FOCUS MORE ON CITIZEN RESPONSE TO SPECIFIC POLICE ACTIVITIES AND LESS ON GLOBAL MEASURES OF SATISFACTION WITH POLICE SERVICE DELIVERY. SUPPORTING TABLES AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DEP).