NCJ Number
196951
Journal
Crime & Delinquency Volume: 48 Issue: 4 Dated: October 2002 Pages: 592-618
Editor(s)
Ronald E. Vogel
Date Published
October 2002
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This research study examined the economic and political determinants of robbery and homicide rates in 164 American cities to determine if community policing methods were effective in controlling violent crime.
Abstract
Because violent crime rates have declined in recent years in large cities across the United States, this study attempted to determine if there was a causal relationship between this decline and two strategies of policing used, that of community policing or that of proactive policing. Multiple databases from a sample of 164 cities with more than 100,000 residents were examined for the hypothesized effect of community policing on control of violent crime. A review of the research on police crime strategies and a description of the data on national adoption of community policing, the data and methods used to analyze the relationship between community policing and other police functions, and the results from a series of analyses are covered in this article. Tables are included covering regression model predictor signs and a description of each regression model used. The results of this study confirm earlier research noting the importance of proactive policing, such as aggressive enforcement of disorderly conduct and driving under the influence, as an effective law enforcement method related to a reduction in violent crime over time. In conclusion, it was found that community policing had little effect on the control or decline in violent crime. Implications for criminal justice policy are discussed noting that most urban police departments do not implement the strategies of community policing sufficiently making the data less than conclusive. Notes, references