Crime Survey of Citizens in El Paso County: Victimization, Fear, and Perceptions of Police

• NCJ Number: 173419
• Author(s): R L Dukes
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 118 pages
• Grant Number(s): 95-IJ-CX-0043
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: University of Colorado
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/NCJRS; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report presents findings from a 1996 victimization survey of households in El Paso County, Col. (Colorado Springs); respondents were also asked about their perceptions of police effectiveness and their fear of becoming crime victims.

Abstract

The survey contacted one respondent over 18 years old from each of 1,200 households in El Paso County during November 1996. The respondent reported on victimization for the household and for himself/herself during the previous 6 months. Men and women were represented equally among the respondents. The survey also included questions related to fear of crime and perceptions of police effectiveness. Overall, survey responses indicated that the crime picture for the local area was good. Many of the crime rates have stayed the same or decreased despite national trends and local growth that was expected to lead to a crime increase. The relatively high rate for assaults is an issue that needs further study, including research on the reasons for the relatively low rate of reporting these victimizations to the police, despite a positive assessment of police and sheriff's deputies. The feeling of personal safety in one's neighborhood was high in the 1978 survey, and it became higher by 1996. Feelings of safety occurred despite an increase in rates of serious crime. Even though respondents felt safe in their own neighborhoods, they feared crime in general. Further research should be undertaken to clarify the similarities and differences between actual fear of becoming a crime victim, a sense of safety or order in the community, and a generalized belief that crime is a serious problem about which one might be "fearful" without expecting to be victimized. For persons who have been crime victims, the more serious the victimization, the more fearful of crime they were. The seriousness of a victimization also was related to perceptions of police effectiveness. These findings suggest that reducing the seriousness of crime victimization will reduce the fear of crime and increase the perception that police are effective. 12 tables, 31 references, and appended questionnaire and frequency distributions for items on the questionnaire