A study of residents’ perception of fear of crime in public housing

Abstract

The City of Savannah experienced a dramatic increase in crimes committed by offenders using drugs since the late 1980s. With the introduction of crack cocaine in the late 1980s, both crimes against persons and crimes against property have been on the rise. The Savannah, Georgia Police Department had identified ten areas, by citizen complaints and arrests, as being drug‐infested: five were public housing. Residents of the drug‐infested neighborhoods were afraid for their safety. The Savannah Police Department developed a strategy to control drug dealing and crime in these neighborhoods. The public housing complex, known as Garden Homes, with the highest crime rate was selected as the initial neighborhood to implement the crime control strategy. The police strategy included establishing a police Mini‐station manned by police officers in the public housing complex. A survey of residents’ “fear of crime” prior to establishing a Mini‐station and after the Mini‐station was operating for several months was done. Establishing a Mini‐station in the Garden Homes Public Housing Complex did have an impact on residents’ “fear of crime.”