NCJ Number
126766
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 17 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1990) Pages: 233-243
Date Published
1990
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Attitudes toward police are important because they help determine police practices, citizen input, and the relation between citizens and police.
Abstract
A national crime survey in 1979 revealed that only 30 to 36 percent of all crimes against households was reported to police. Police ability to fight crime is dependent on citizen cooperation. Blacks, Hispanics, and those from low-income households tend to have more negative attitudes towards police than do others. A study of 266 adults from households and 117 homeless men in a midwestern city found that the street sample had more contact with police and more negative attitudes, while within households, younger respondents held lower views of police. A study in Pittsburgh found that black and white attitudes differ both qualitatively and quantitatively, with blacks having more contact and attitudes relating more to police physical treatment and impartiality, while whites thought more in terms of police personal characteristics. A study of 305 respondents in four sections of the Bronx (NY) compared attitudes by section, ethnicity, sex, age, employment status, education, and income. The respondents were predominantly black or Hispanic, over 21, male, and evenly divided among the employed and unemployed. In all, 119 gave police performance a "good" rating, 105 a "fair" rating, and 65 a "poor" rating. Proportionately more blacks than Hispanics gave police a poor or fair rating, and only 9 of 30 respondents below age 21 gave a good rating. Reasons for good ratings related to police response quickness, visibility, and efficiency; citizens' attitudes toward police tended to mirror their opinions about their neighborhoods. 10 tables, 8 endnotes, and 13 references