Is neighborhood policing related to informal social control?

Abstract

PurposeThe present study aims to examine the relationship between public and informal social control by investigating whether perceptions of neighborhood policing exhibit a positive or negative relationship to informal control. The influence of police‐resident coproduction (police attendance at community meetings, police accessibility, police‐resident problem solving) on informal control is contrasted with general perceptions of police effectiveness and legitimacy.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data from 81 neighborhood leaders representing 81 Portland, OR neighborhoods (i.e. unit of analysis), along with crime and census data is used. Analysis involves multivariate OLS regression and correlations.FindingsA frequency of police attendance at community meetings was negatively related to informal social control, controlling for neighborhood demographics, crime, and social cohesion. Results indicate a community style of policing may not be enough to overcome deeply entrenched attitudes toward the police in the most disadvantaged communities and at worst may discourage informal social control. Perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion and government responsiveness are the best predictors of increased informal social control.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research is needed to understand the development of attitudes toward the police, especially in the most disadvantaged communities. The conclusions of the study are limited by the cross sectional design and use of a single neighborhood leader informant.Practical implicationsThis paper attempts to identify how clear, tactical methods of collaborating with residents are related to informal social control.Originality/valueThis is one of the few studies to empirically assess whether public social control through neighborhood policing, in particular police‐resident coproduction and police legitimacy, is related to informal social control.

The impact of race/ethnicity, neighborhood context, and police/citizen interaction on residents' attitudes toward the police

“…Some studies treated concentrated disadvantage as a variable at the individual-level to measure a respondent's perceptions of his/her neighborhood (i.e. Renauer, 2007;Weitzer & Tuch, 2006). For example, Weitzer and Tuch (2006) noted the use of concentrated disadvantage at individual level, "As is standard in the literature on neighborhood effects, we use census tracts as proxies for neighborhoods, recognizing that tracts are only rough approximations of neighborhood boundaries" (p.201).…”

Different actions for different crimes: Explaining individual action in local crime problems

“…Alternatively, perceptions of police effectiveness and satisfaction with police encourage the actioning of both formal and informal social control (Renauer, ; Sargeant et al., ; Silver & Miller, ; Warner, ). Furthermore, local government is fundamental to community safety and crime prevention (Glaser, Parker, & Payton, ; Homel & Fuller, ).…”

“…Furthermore, local government is fundamental to community safety and crime prevention (Glaser, Parker, & Payton, ; Homel & Fuller, ). A responsive local government influences residents’ use of informal social control (Renauer, ), and poor municipal services and police‐community relations are negatively associated with individual action against crime (Davis et al., ). How a person perceives the effectiveness and legitimacy of formal agencies impacts their ideas about crime and its control.…”

De sociale cohesie voorbij : Actieve burgers in achterstandswijken

“…Bewoners kunnen afhankelijk worden van de politie om buurtproblemen op te lossen (DeLeon-Granados 1999;Renauer 2007). 6 De zelfregulerende kracht van de buurt zou daardoor kunnen worden aangetast.…”

“…De responsiviteit en effectiviteit van de politie en de lokale overheid zijn sterke voorspellers van sterkere informele sociale controle (Renauer 2007;ook Frank 1996). Wat dat betreft -vooral het tegengaan van negatieve beelden over de politie -lijkt Caps geen slechte papieren te hebben.…”