Abstract

Evidence on how hot spot policing affects community members’ views of police is very limited and inconclusive. Scholars have thus called for further study of community attitudes in hot spots to guide police in the formulation of hot spot strategies—an issue that is especially salient given recent public controversy surrounding policing, particularly in the United States. Using survey responses collected in 2018 from more than 1,000 community members living or working in more than 100 hot spots across 2 mid-sized cities in the United States, this study examines how community members’ perceptions of police activities in hot spots relate to their wider attitudes about police. Bivariate and multivariate analyses indicate that community members in hot spots in both cities exhibit more positive attitudes towards police along several dimensions (e.g., trust and confidence in police, views of police legitimacy, and perceptions of police responsiveness and procedural justice) when they see more frequent patrol and when they see positive police-community interactions. They have more negative views of police when they witness higher levels of investigative and enforcement activity. The findings support hot spot policing strategies that emphasize regular, systematic patrol in hot spots, complemented by positive community engagement efforts and problem-solving work. In contrast, they imply that enhanced enforcement activity in hot spots should be used judiciously.

摘要

关于热点警务如何影响社区成员对警察的看法的证据非常有限且不确定。因此，学者们呼吁进一步研究热点地区的社区态度，以指导警方制定热点策略——鉴于最近围绕警务的公众争议，这一问题尤为突出，尤其是在美国。本研究使用 2018 年从在美国 2 个中等城市的 100 多个热点生活或工作的 1,000 多名社区成员收集的调查回复，研究社区成员对热点地区警察活动的看法与他们更广泛的联系对警察的态度。双变量和多变量分析表明，两个城市热点地区的社区成员在几个方面（例如，对警察的信任和信心、对警察合法性的看法以及对警察反应能力和程序正义的看法）当他们看到更频繁的巡逻以及看到积极的警察与社区互动时。当他们目睹更高级别的调查和执法活动时，他们对警察的看法会更负面。研究结果支持热点警务策略，强调在热点地区进行定期、系统的巡逻，并辅之以积极的社区参与努力和解决问题的工作。相比之下，它们意味着应该审慎地使用在热点地区加强执法活动。当他们目睹更高级别的调查和执法活动时，他们对警察的看法会更负面。研究结果支持热点警务策略，强调在热点地区进行定期、系统的巡逻，并辅之以积极的社区参与努力和解决问题的工作。相比之下，它们意味着应该审慎地使用在热点地区加强执法活动。当他们目睹更高级别的调查和执法活动时，他们对警察的看法会更负面。调查结果支持热点警务策略，强调在热点地区进行定期、系统的巡逻，并辅之以积极的社区参与努力和解决问题的工作。相比之下，它们意味着应该审慎地使用在热点地区加强执法活动。