Effect of Portland’s Directed Patrol Intervention on Community Attitudes Toward the Police

• In Event: Outcomes from Portland’s Field Experiment with Directed Community Engagement Patrols

Abstract

This talk discusses the impact that Portland’s directed patrol intervention (Ni-Loc) had on community attitudes and perceptions about the police. The Ni-Loc intervention was a randomized field experiment executed in Portland, Oregon in 2014 that was designed to increase positive attitudes toward police among residents and decrease crime. Police were directed to conduct patrols in high crime areas (Ni-Loc locations) and to prioritize non-investigative contacts with citizens to build trust and legitimacy. We evaluate the hypothesis that residents around the treated Ni-Loc areas will feel more positively about the police and feel safer than residents in control areas. Data comes from surveys conducted with individuals in the Ni-Loc (or control) locations after the 3 month intervention ended. Approximately 12,000 resident surveys were sent out to randomly selected households and 1,500 were returned for a 12.5% response rate. Surveys contained measures of residents’ attitudes toward police, perceptions of safety in Ni-Loc areas, perceptions of social and physical disorder, collective efficacy, and interactions with officers in Ni-Loc areas. Results will compare Whites and racial minorities’ attitudes toward police in Ni-Loc versus the control locations to measure impact. Implications for community policing interventions will be discussed.

Authors

• Kimberly Barsamian Kahn, Portland State University

• Greg Stewart, Portland Police Bureau

• Brian Renauer, Portland State University

• Yves Labissiere, Portland State University

• Sean Sothern, Portland Police Bureau

• Renee Mitchell, American Society of Evidence Based Policing

• Christian Peterson, Porltand Police Bureau

• Kris R. Henning, Portland State University