THE EFFECTS OF NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT ON EVALUATIONS OF POLICE SERVICES

In this paper, the effects of neighborhood racial composition and wealth are compared to the effects of police expenditures per capita and crime rate upon assessments of neighborhood police services in Boston. The results indicate that: (1) there is little correspondence between the level of police expenditures per capita and the level of citizen satisfaction; (2) higher neighborhood crime rates are associated with negative perceptions of neighborhood police performance; and (3) some aspects of neighborhood context even may be more important than crime rates in determining the level of citizen satisfaction with neighborhood police services.