POLICE FOOT-PATROL - AN EVALUATION

• NCJ Number: 27506
• Author(s): R T LYNCH
• Date Published: 1971
• Length: 100 pages
• Publication Format: Dissertation/Thesis
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY - MASTERS THESIS

Annotation

REPORT ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INTRODUCTION OF FOOTPATROL UNITS IN A PREDOMINANTLY BLACK, HIGH CRIME COMMUNITY OF FORT WORTH (TX) IN IMPROVING RESIDENT ATTITUDES TOWARD POLICE AND THE RATE OF REPORTED CRIME.

Abstract

THIS STUDY ALSO EXAMINED THE VARIABLES OF AGE, SEX, EDUCATION, OCCUPATION, LEVEL OF NEIGHBORHOOD SECURITY, AND LEVEL OF COMMUNITY SATISFACTION TO DETERMINE THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE LEVEL OF SATISFACTION WITH THE POLICE. TWO INDEPENDENT RANDOM SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED, EACH ONE CONSISTING OF 400 INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED WITH SOUTHSIDE COMMUNITY RESIDENTS USING A PREPARED SCHEDULE. THE FIRST SAMPLE WAS COLLECTED IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING INITIATION OF THE FOOT-PATROL PROGRAM, AND THE SECOND SAMPLE WAS TAKEN APPROXIMATELY EIGHT MONTHS AFTER THE FOOT PATROL HAD BEEN IN THE AREA. THE SCHEDULE WAS CONSTRUCTED TO OBTAIN FOUR CATEGORIES OF INFORMATION FROM THE RESPONDENTS CONCERNING: 1) BACKGROUND INFORMATION, 2) FEELINGS OF NEIGHBORHOOD SECURITY, 3) ATTITUDES TOWARD THE COMMUNITY, AND 4) ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLICE. TWO GROUPS OF HYPOTHESES WERE FORMULATED. THE FIRST GROUP MADE PREDICTIONS CONCERNING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLES (AGE, SEX, EDUCATION, OCCUPATION, NEIGHBORHOOD SECURITY, AND COMMUNITY SATISFACTION) AND LEVEL OF SATISFACTION WITH THE POLICE. THE SECOND GROUP PREDICTED SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE ATTITUDE CHANGES TOWARD THE POLICE AT ALL LEVELS OF EACH INDEPENDENT VARIABLE. DUE TO THE INABILITY OF THE DATA FINDINGS TO SUPPORT BOTH STATISTICAL TESTS USED, ALL BUT ONE HYPOTHESIS WERE REJECTED. THE HYPOTHESIS WHICH WAS ACCEPTED HAD PREDICTED A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEVEL OF COMMUNITY SATISFACTION AND LEVEL OF SATISFACTION WITH THE POLICE. A CHANGE IN ATTITUDES DID OCCUR BETWEEN TIME 1 AND TIME 2 IN THE FORM OF A REGRESSION OF THE ATTITUDES TOWARD A MEDIUM LEVEL OF SATISFACTION WITH THE POLICE. DUE TO THE CONSISTENT LOSSES AT THE LOWEST SATISFACTION LEVEL, THE LEVEL OF MOST CONCERN TO THE POLICE, IT WAS GENERALLY CONCLUDED THAT THE POLICE FOOTPATROL HAD BEEN APPRECIABLY EFFECTIVE IN INITIATING A SLIGHT POSITIVE CHANGE TREND. A FOUR-PAGE LIST OF REFERENCES AND A COPY OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE USED IN THE ATTITUDE SURVEY ARE INCLUDED AT THE END OF THE REPORT. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)