Examining Police Presence, Tactics, and Engagement as Facilitators of Informal Social Control in High-Crime Areas

Abstract

The systemic model of social disorganization advocates that communities can help regulate disorder and crime by exerting informal social control. This paper examines the avenues through which police might contribute to that social process. Building upon past research, we compare the amount of police presence observed by residents versus residents’ awareness of and satisfaction with police–community engagement and tactics used as mechanisms for promoting safety, confidence in police, and social cohesion, and ultimately informal social control. Results of a structural equation model using data from a panel community survey in 71 high-crime areas suggest that simply seeing the police is not enough. The results suggest that tactics police use in neighborhoods and most notably, how those strategies are interpreted by residents living there can be a conduit to facilitate social cohesion and informal social control. The results have implications for police resource allocation and best practices in crime hot spots.