ABSTRACT
Feelings of safety vary by context, with disordered, high-crime areas typically generating more fear among residents. However, scholars have suggested that when violence permeates the daily routines in an area, it can begin to feel ‘normal.’ Residents may become desensitized to the risky conditions and grow accustomed to a high police presence, more aggressive tactics, and being stopped by police. Thus, lived differences with crime and police may alter the lens through which residents interpret environmental cues about their safety. The current study draws on 820 household surveys of residents from high-, moderate- and low-violence areas in an effort to inform police and communities about strategies that promote feelings of safety within different contexts. Our findings demonstrate that collective efficacy is consistently important to residents’ feelings of safety, across all contexts. Hearing gunfire reduces feelings of safety most in the area with moderate levels of gun violence. The results imply a need to tailor safety strategies to what makes people feel safer in areas with different levels of violence.
Disclosure statement
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical statement
The authors of this manuscript have complied with ethical principles in their treatment of individuals participating in the research described in the manuscript. The research has been reviewed and approved by the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Human Subjects Committee under protocol 17,130.
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Tammy R. Kochel
Tammy Rinehart Kochel, PhD, is a Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice in the School of Justice and Public Safety at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She conducts applied research in partnership with police and communities, examining public perceptions of police and how policing strategies and behaviors may influence public views, crime, and community efficacy. She has given special consideration to marginalized populations, such as disadvantaged minority populations living in high-crime areas, with whom police most often interact, and their views about procedural justice, police legitimacy, and police effectiveness.
Seyvan Nouri, MS, is a Doctoral Candidate of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. His research interests include hot spot policing, police use of force, Geographic Information Systems and analysis, and advanced analyses in criminology.