Police as Community Organizers - The Houston Field Test Executive Summary

• NCJ Number: 102484
• Author(s): M A Wycoff; W G Skogan; A M Pate; L W Sherman
• Date Published: 1985
• Length: 25 pages
• Grant Number(s): 83-IJ-CX-0003
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Police Foundation
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report summarizes evaluation results for a Houston, Tex., program designed to reduce citizens' fear of crime, diminish their perceptions of local increase their satisfaction with their neighborhood and with the police.

Abstract

The program, which was begun in 1983, included a police neighborhood survey, neighborhood meetings with police, a police crime prevention newsletter, a neighborhood task force that met monthly with the district police captain, and task force activities. A total of 228 residents in 1 of the 5 program neighborhoods were interviewed before and 10 months after program implementation to determine their attitudes toward their neighborhood, crime, and police. A total of 183 residents neighborhood, crime, and police. A total of 183 residents in a matched control neighborhood were similarly surveyed before and after the program period. A pooled cross-sectional regression analysis was used to analyze the data. Although the program did not reduce citizens' fear of crime, it did diminish their perceptions of disorderly behavior in the neighborhood and increase their ratings for police service compared to control-area residents. About one-half of the program respondents were significantly less likely to view personal and property crime as serious problems in their neighborhood compared to control respondents. Tabular data and 3 references.