Community Perceptions of Fear of Crime and Police Legitimacy in Seattle: Implications for Community-Police Engagement

• In Event: Fear of Crime Across Community Contexts

Abstract

Amid social justice protests in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, Seattle was at the center of national attention due to the development of a police-free autonomous zone in the city’s East precinct. The autonomous zone was short-lived as it quickly experienced high rates of violent crime with police unable to respond. Considering the extraordinarily low perceptions of the police legitimacy that led to the creation of this zone followed by high crime rates in the area, it is important to understand how perceptions of police legitimacy and fear of crime were impacted in the East precinct compared to the rest of the city by examining trends that existed prior to and following 2020. These perceptions have significant implications for quality of life and psychological well-being of the public. This study employs a panel regression utilizing six years of data from the annual Seattle Public Safety Survey. The survey is intentionally non-probability-based to ensure that anyone who lives and/or works in Seattle can voice their public safety concerns in the neighborhood they reside or work in. Implications for community-police engagement are explored.

Authors

• Brandon Bledsoe, University of Cincinnati

• Jacqueline B. Helfgott, Seattle University