NCJ Number
227448
Date Published
2009
Length
33 pages
Annotation
This chapter examines the use of interviews with community residents in small areas in order to assess the effects of police crime-reduction strategies on citizen perceptions of disorder problems, police behaviors, and fear of crime.
Abstract
The findings indicate that interviews with community residents who use the public spaces in areas targeted for structured crime-prevention interventions can provide significantly useful information in the evaluation of crime-reduction strategies, but care must be taken in analyzing and interpreting these data. Interviews with key community residents revealed that users of selected public places noticed an increased police presence and that disorder problems were positively impacted in the intervention "hot spots" compared to the control "hot spots." Respondents, however, did not notice any significant changes in police strategy, the willingness of the police to work with residents, or the demeanor of the police toward citizens. This study used citizen interview data collected as part of a randomized controlled experiment in Lowell, MA, in evaluating the effects of problem-oriented policing strategies on crime and disorder "hot spots." The "key community member" concept involved the selection of a person or group of people who, at some time during a normal day, made a noteworthy contribution to the way a place is used. After this process was completed, there were 52 key community members identified and interviewed during the pretest and posttest time periods (26 each at the intervention and control places). 5 tables, 6 notes, and 72 references