NCJ Number
166322
Journal
Crime, Law and Social Change Volume: 26 Issue: 2 Dated: (1996/97) Pages: 161-186
Date Published
1997
Length
26 pages
Annotation
Policing in the inner-city neighborhood of Hyde Park in St. Louis was evaluated against a backdrop of racial polarization in the city and political pressures on the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD).
Abstract
Data were obtained from immersion into Hyde Park community life, participation in and observation of numerous police/community meetings, document analysis, a focus group session with rank-and-file police officers, interviews with a sergeant and the captain of the Fifth Police District, and several informal conversations with community residents and police officers. Results indicated poor police/community relationships and provided evidence on the part of police officers of racial bias among police officers, lack of and/or poor understanding of underlying causes of criminal behavior, pervading adventure and excitement lures toward police work, and a less than adequate understanding of community-oriented policing. An underlying theme of little or absent inform locus of control at various levels regarding policing practices linked issues of poor police/community relationships and the influence of racial bias and political pressures. In particular, most complaints about policing in Hyde Park centered around poor police response. The police reaction to complaints about policing focused on understaffing, lack of detailed information, poor communication between community residents and police, and some uncooperative community residents. Measures that should be implemented to make community policing more responsive to the public are examined. 31 references and 1 note