SOCI 427 Lecture 5: (5) Police & Crime
Document Summary
Identify key studies on policing discussed by wilson. Number of patrolmen were doubled for 4 months. Reduced some street crimes, slight decline in assault, no decline in murder or "private" crime. No direct measure of actual crime, just reported crime. Comparisons were only made with the previous year. No displacement - if criminals moved to a different area. Decreases in crime happened when police increased from 0-1, but not 1-2. 20th precinct increased police by 40%, rest of the city stayed the. 20th precinct increased police by 40%, rest of the city stayed the same. Street robbery/car theft declined, private crimes didn"t change. Did not consider to compare areas for same socioeconomic status. Increase patrol in nyc subway, 1200 -> 31k. No significant annual decreases in crime, but general decrease during patrol hours. 15 patrols sorted into 5 groups, 3 methods. No significant differences in criminal activity, reported crime, victimization, levels of fear, or satisfaction with police.