The law enforcement community and the criminal justice system have embraced the emergence of the postbureaucratic era and its emphasis on more community responsibility. In particular, the organizational and philosophical strategy of community policing seeks to coproduce public safety and public order by integrating or partnering the local police department with its citizens. Although a plethora of research exists on the topic of citizen perceptions and satisfaction with community policing, an important sector of citizens has been overlooked and left out of this process—children and teenagers. This article uses focus group interviewing and an ethnographic-content analysis to examine the perceptions of inner-city children and teenagers in a neighborhood of Athens, Georgia, on law enforcement in general and community policing in particular. This research yields important implications for law enforcement leadership, training, and citizen evaluations of public programs.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aberbach, J., & Walker, J. (1970). The attitudes of Blacks toward city services: Implications for public policy. In J. Crecine (Ed.), Financing the metropolis. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage
2.
Axelrod, M. (1975). Marketers get an eyeful when focus groups expose products, ideas, images, ad copy, etc. to consumers. Marketing News, 8, 6-7.
3.
Bish, F. P., & Neubert, N. M. (1977). Citizen contributions to the productions of community safety and security. In M. S. Rosentraub (Ed.), Financing local government: New approaches to old problems. Ft. Collins, CO: Western Social Science Association.
4.
Black, D., & Reiss, A. (1970). Police control of juveniles. American Sociological Review, 35, 63-77.
5.
Brandl, S., Frank, J., Worden, R., & Bynum, T. (1994). Global and specific attitudes toward the police: Disentangling the relationship. Justice Quarterly, 11(1), 119-133.
6.
Brown, L. (1992). Violent crime and community involvement. The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 61(5), 2-5.
7.
Brudney, J., & England, R. E. (1983). Toward a definition of the co-production concept, Public Administration Review, 43, 59-65.
8.
Byars, P., & Wilcox, J. (1991). Focus groups: A qualitative opportunity for researchers. Journal of Business Communication, 28(1), 63-77.
9.
Calder, B. J. (1977). Focus groups and the nature of qualitative marketing research. Journal of Marketing Research, 14, 353-364.
10.
Carter, D. L. (1983). Hispanic interaction with the criminal justice system in Texas: Experiences, attitudes and perceptions. Journal of Criminal Justice, 11(3), 213-227.
11.
Chambliss, W. (1994). Policing the ghetto underclass: The politics of law and law enforcement. Social Problems, 41(2), 177-195.
12.
Cooper, J. (1980). The police and the ghetto. Port Washington, NY: Kennikat.
13.
D'Amico-Samuels, D. (1990). Access to adult basic education: African-American perspectives on program guidelines for recruitment and retention. Albany, NY: New York Deptartment of Education.
14.
Ellison, C., & London, B. (1992). The social and political participation of Black Americans: Compensatory and ethnic community perspectives revisited. Social Forces, 70(3), 681-701.
15.
Fogelson, R. (1968). From resentment to confrontation: The police, the Negroes, and the outbreak of the nineteen-sixties riots, Political Science Quarterly, 83(2), 217-247.
16.
Goodsell, C. T. (1990). Emerging issues in public administration. In N. Lynn & A. Wildavsky (Eds.), Public administration: The state of the discipline. Chatham, NJ: Chatham House.
17.
Grinc, R. M. (1994). Angels in marble: Problems in stimulating community involvement in community policing. Crime & Delinquency, 40(3), 437-468.
18.
Hahn, H. (1971). Ghetto assessments of police protection and authority. Law and Society Review, 6, 183-194.
19.
Jacob, H. (1971). Black and White perceptions of justice in the city. Law and Society Review, 6, 646-668.
20.
Jarrett, R. (1993). Interviewing with low income minority populations. In D. L. Morgan (Ed.), Successful focus groups: Advancing the state of the art (pp. 184-202). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
21.
Jenkins, M. (1995). Fear of the gangsta: African American males and the criminal justice system. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Boston.
22.
Kiser, L. L., & Percy, S. L. (1980). The concept of co-production and its implications for public service delivery. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Public Administration, San Francisco.
23.
Knodel, J. (1993). The design and analysis of focus group studies: A practical approach. In D. L. Morgan (Ed.), Successful focus groups: Advancing the state of the art. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
24.
Koenig, D. J. (1980). The effects of criminal victimization and judicial or police contacts on public attitudes toward local police. Journal of Criminal Justice, 8, 243-249.
25.
Koven, S. (1992). Co-production of law enforcement services: Benefits and implications. Urban Affairs Quarterly, 27(3), 457-470.
26.
Kratcoski, P. C., Dukes, D., & Gustavson, S. (1995). An analysis of citizens' responses to community policing in a large Midwestern city. In P. C. Kratcoski & D. Dukes (Eds.), Issues in community policing. Cincinnati, OH: Anderson.
27.
Kratcoski, P. C., & Noonan, S. B. (1995). An assessment of police officers' acceptance of community policing. In P. C. Kratcoski & D. Dukes (Eds.), Issues in community policing. Cincinnati, OH: Anderson.
28.
Krippendorf, K. (1980). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. Beverly Hills, cA: Sage.
29.
Krueger, R. (1988). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
30.
Lasley, J., & Vernon, R. (1992). Police-citizen partnerships in the inner city. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 61, 18-22.
31.
Lasley, J., Vernon, R., & Dery, G. (1995). Operation Cul-De-Sac: LAPD's total community policing program. In P. C. Kratcoski & D. Dukes, Issues in community policing. Cincinnati, OH: Anderson.
32.
Lederman, L. (1988). If you want to know what they think, ask them: Using the focus group interview for communication research. Paper presented at the Annual Eastern Communication Association Conference, Baltimore, MD.
33.
Lederman, L. (1990). Assessing educational effectiveness: The focus group interview as a technique for data collection. Communication Education, 38, 119-127.
34.
Lengua, L., Roosa, M., Schupak-Neuberg, E., Michaels, M., Berg, C., & Weschler, L. (1992). Using focus groups to guide the development of a parenting program for difficult-to-reach, high risk families. Family Relations, 41, 163-168.
35.
Lundman, R., Sykes, R., & Clark, J. (1978). Police control of juveniles: A replication. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 15(1), 22-27.
36.
Maddox, J. (1993). Community sensitivity. The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 62(2), 10-12.
37.
McLaughlin, V., & Donahue, M. (1995). Training for community-oriented policing. In P. C. Kratcoski & D. Dukes (Eds.), Issues in community policing. Cincinnati, OH: Anderson.
38.
Miller, L. S., & Hess, K. M. (1994). Community policing: Theory and practice. Minneapolis, MN: West.
39.
Morgan, D. (1988). Focus groups as qualitative research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
40.
Murty, K., Roebuck, J. & Smith, J. (1990). The image of the police in Black Atlanta communities. Journal of Police Science and Administration, 17(4), 250-257.
41.
Pennell, F. (1978). Private vs collective strategies for dealing with crime, citizen attitudes toward crime, and the police in urban neighborhoods. Journal of Voluntary Action Research, 7(1-2), 59-74.
42.
Percy, S. L. (1979). Citizen co-production of community safety. In R. Baker & F. A. Meyer (Eds.), Evaluating alternative law enforcement policies. Lexington, MA: Lexington.
43.
Peverly, W., & Phillips, P. (1993). Community policing through citizen police academies. The Police Chief, 60(8), 89-91.
44.
Piliavin, I., & Briar, S. (1964). Delinquency, situational inducements and commitment to conformity. Social Problems, 13(1), 34-45.
45.
Radelet, L. (1986). The police and the community (4th ed.). New York: Macmillan.
46.
Radelet, L., & Carter, D. (1994). The police and the community (5th edition). New York: Macmillan.
47.
Rossi, P. H., Beck R. A., & Eidson, B. K. (1974). The roots of urban discontent. New York: John Wiley.
48.
Ruchelman, L. (1989). A workshop in redesigning public services. Albany: State University of New York Press.
49.
Saint-Germain, M., Bassford, T., & Montano, G. (1993). Surveys and focus groups in health research with older Hispanic women. Qualitative Health Research, 3(3), 341-367.
50.
Savas, E. S. (1986). Alternative structural models for delivering urban services. In A. Swesey & E. Ignall (Eds.), Studies in the management sciences: Delivery of urban services. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
51.
Scaglion, R., & Condon, R. (1980). Determinants of attitude toward city police. Criminology, 17(4), 486-489.
52.
Schuman, H., & Gruenberg, B. (1972). Dissatisfaction with city services: Is race and important factor. In H. Hahn (Ed.), People and politics in urban society. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
53.
Sharp, E. (1980). Toward a new understanding of urban services and citizen participation: The co-production concept. Midwest Review of Public Administration, 14(2), 105-118.
54.
Sill, P. L. (1991). Community-oriented policing and crime prevention training: A must for the `90s. The Police Chief, 58(11), 56-58.
55.
Skolnick, J., & Bayley, D. (1986). The new blue line: Police innovations in six American cities. New York: Free Press.
56.
Stewart, D., & Shamdasani, P. (1990). Focus groups: Theory and practice. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
57.
Trojanowicz, R. (1992). Building support for community policing. The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 61(5), 7-13.
58.
Trojanowicz, R., & Bucqueroux, B. (1994). Community policing: How to get started. Cincinnati, OH: Anderson.
59.
Trojanowicz, R., & Moore, M. H. (1988). The meaning of community in community policing. East Lansing, MI: National Neighborhood Foot Patrol Center.
60.
Whitaker, G. (1980). Co-production: Citizen participation in service delivery. Public Administration Review, 40(3), 240-246.
61.
Wilson, J., & Kelling, G. (1982). Broken windows: The police and neighborhood safety. Atlantic Monthly, 249, 29-38.
