Reporting violent acts to the police

Abstract

Members of minority groups, particularly minority groups that are race based, report less confidence in law enforcement across a number of dimensions. These people believe that the police act in a discriminatory manner. The current emphasis on community policing, among other things, should improve community attitudes toward the police. The data reported here suggest that the reverse is true for one southern city. In that city, minority subjects are less willing to report acts of violence that they believe to be wrong to the police.