Predicting perceived police effectiveness in public housing: police contact, police trust, and police responsiveness

ABSTRACT

Public housing authorities have implemented banishment policies giving police the authority to ban non-residents from public housing and arrest them for trespassing upon violating the ban. Scholars argue that banishment expands police powers because authorities need little reason to ban non-residents, are beyond judicial review, and can lead to racially disparate enforcement. However, it is unclear whether community policing may be able to mediate the negative effects of banishment, by building police trust, and still allow residents to perceive the police and banishment as effective. This study presents survey data from 221 public housing households in a Southeastern US city policed under banishment and community policing strategies. Regression analysis is used to test whether police contact, police trust, or police responsiveness can predict whether residents view the police as effective even in neighbourhoods where banishment is a commonly used policing tactic. Results indicate police trust and police responsiveness-under-policing or over-policing-to be the most significant predictors of perceived police effectiveness in public housing after controlling for police contact and demographic variables. Based on the findings, police officers in public housing should concentrate on gaining the trust of the community, which, in turn, can increase perceived effectiveness. However, banishment enforced in public housing can negatively affect perceived police effectiveness when residents perceive police to be over-policing or under-policing. Nonetheless, banishment can be a promising tool for public safety if used under the guidance of community policing.

KEYWORDS:

• Police effectiveness
• police trust
• community policing
• policing

Notes

1 Trespass data and KHA ban list given to author by the police department and KHA.

2 Crime data made available to author by city police department.

3 Number of residents and households taken from the KHA lease list.

4 Due to the survey hours (12 pm–5 pm) random selection of households was not done since these hours would have placed myself in jeopardy of acquiring an increase in no responses to door knocks for those who were working. It was concluded that purposive sampling procedures would allow for more responses from residents who were home during times of the survey. Interview survey was also preferred over mailed survey or web survey since an interview survey would allow more residents to complete the survey who were incapable (i.e. illiterate and physically handicapped), and ensured actual leaseholders were taking the survey.

5 KHA neighbourhood level data were examined at the block group level.

6 Crime rate based on all FBI Part I crimes, and KHA reported drug and trespass crimes. According to the Census, the population in 2010 was 7767 and there were 688 total crimes according to KHA reported crime figures.

7 Race and income were not included since the overwhelming majority of respondents were black (97.3%) and residents of KHA are considered at or below the poverty line.