Original Abstract

This study examines the mutual perceptions of police officers and residents about police service in Pasadena, California. Data were collected from community residents and law enforcement officers via self-report surveys, focus groups, and interviews. Findings suggest that the Pasadena Police Department (PPD) has embraced community policing and is committed to reducing crime and improving the police—community relationship; more than 90% of officers indicated that the PPD was a good organization to work for and 83% reported that their work was a major source of satisfaction in their lives. For the most part, PPD officers were extremely optimistic regarding the relationship between the police and public in their city, which strongly contrasts police officers in New York City and Chicago, who expressed more negative views about police—community relations when they were surveyed in the mid-1990s. However, about half of the officers who participated in this study thought that the minority communities in Pasadena complained unfairly about racial profiling and abuses of authority by law enforcement. Pasadena residents, in general, reported high rates of satisfaction with their PPD contacts and have largely positive perceptions of police effectiveness. African American, Asian, and Latino communities, however, are more pessimistic about police than the balance of Pasadena residents; whereas about half of White residents reported that the police were very responsive to their concerns, only 27% of African Americans, 26% of Asians, and 30% of Latinos felt the same. The African American, Asian, and Latino communities also hold more negative views toward the greater Pasadena community.

Next  |  Return to project page