Resident Perceptions of Police, Safety, and Solutions in Neighborhoods with High Crime and Socioeconomic Disadvantage

• In Event: Protecting Marginalized Communities: Assessing Community-Based Policing Needs

Abstract

Communities with high levels of crime and socioeconomic disadvantage also often experience high levels of policing and strained relationships with local police. An understanding of resident perceptions of safety, experiences with policing, and support for both law enforcement and community-based approaches is critical for informing local violence prevention efforts. To build this knowledge, the Urban Institute is conducting a multi-city survey of residents in neighborhoods with high levels of violent crime and concentrated disadvantage, who are closest to the issues related to violence. This presentation will describe the methods and findings about perceptions of police, police-community relationships, crime, neighborhood conditions, current prevention efforts, and proposed interventions. We will discuss the implications of these findings for the involved cities and places interested in representative surveys of residents most affected by violence.

Authors

• Ashlin Oglesby-Neal, Urban Institute

• Paige Thompson, Urban Institute

• Susan Nembhard, The Urban Institute / John Jay College of Criminal Justice

• Sam Hoppe, Urban Institute