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Neighborhood Safety - Crime File Series Study Guide

NCJ Number
100746
Author(s)
L Sherman
Date Published
1986
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study guide, which accompanies the ''Crime File' videotape on neighborhood safety, discusses factors in the fear of crime and types of new programs to address them: community organizing, police ''storefronts,' and neighborhood foot patrol.
Abstract

Fear of crime is nurtured by observable social signs of crime in a neighborhood, such as prostitutes soliciting, drug transactions, and derelicts on the street. Fear of crime is also fostered by signs of physical disorder, such as abandoned cars, litter, and broken windows. One effort to address these factors is Neighborhood Watch, which encourages citizens to interact with neighbors, attend block club meetings to discuss crime problems, and contact police if any suspicious activity in the neighborhood is observed. Preliminary results from a Police Foundation evaluation of a Houston community organizing effort found no measurable crime reduction but a significant decrease in fear of crime compared to a control neighborhood. Similar results were found for the impact of Houston police ''storefronts,' which consist of police walk-in offices in commercial areas. A number of cities have fostered police contact with citizens through foot patrol. Preliminary evaluation results show both a reduction in crime and fear of crime. 5 references.

Date Published: January 1, 1986