The Impact of Citizen Perceptions of Community Policing on Fear of Crime: Findings from Twelve Cities

Abstract

Under the community policing philosophy, reducing citizen fear of crime has become a legitimate objective for police. Using the Twelve Cities Survey, a 1998 supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, this study examines the relationship between citizen perceptions of community policing and fear of crime, including other factors such as satisfaction with police and crime prevention behaviors by citizens. It is found that perceptions of community policing have strong positive effects on satisfaction with police and crime prevention behaviors. However, citizen perceptions of community policing do not directly affect levels of fear. In half of the cities examined, crime prevention behaviors had a positive (not negative) relationship with fear of crime. Implications for community policing efforts are discussed.