Your Neighbors Are Watching You: Fear of Crime and Community Surveillance

• In Event: Perceptions of Crime in Evolving Communities

Abstract

Various home surveillance systems are now widely available and easy to install, promulgating their use by many residents across the United States. Applications associated with various systems, such as Ring, allow social networks to share surveillance feeds, post warnings and messages for neighbors, and connect with local police departments. This study assesses the use of surveillance networks, and how surveillance is framed by neighbors for the purposes of sharing information and social control. For instance, posts often allude to the fear of crime or fear of being victimized when a “suspicious other” is seen on camera. Sometimes persons are identified as suspicious- and even criminal- when they are in fact not doing anything wrong or out of the ordinary. Other times, residents give each other advice on how to handle problems, including what to do if a “suspicious person” is seen again, and often encouraging others to involve the police. Ultimately, we assess how home surveillance systems are changing how we view and interact with our community, making our neighbors more suspicious, and what increased surveillance means for fear of crime.

Authors

• Ashley K. Farmer, Illinois State University

• David C. Lane, Illinois State University