Crime ‘hot spots’ have strong community networks and would benefit from community policing, a Manhattan Institute study finds.
By Eileen Griffin
A new study from the Manhattan Institute refutes historical crime theories.
Findings from a multi-year study published in April of 2024 indicates that residents of communities deemed as high crime areas have strong social ties, contrary to previous theories, Manhattan Institute reports.
Understanding crime patterns and neighborhood tracking has always been a critical component to policing. Over 50 percent of crimes occur on only 5 percent of the streets in the country. It is well known and documented that large cities attract the most crime.
Local police officers often are very familiar with the territory they serve, and they are aware of which streets need the most attention. Law enforcement leaders strategically allocate more officers to the streets they know to be “hot spots” for crime.
Community policing, where law enforcement attempts to build relationships within the communities they serve, has long proven an effective anti-crime strategy.
Community policing gives residents of the community a voice and ownership in how their streets are protected. Most residents in high crime areas want more police presence and welcome a collaborative relationship.
In high crime areas, this type of community policing was often considered unachievable due to the excessive chaos and disorder. The Manhattan Institute study concluded that streets identified as “hot spots” for crime can benefit from community policing, despite the previous assumptions.
The study’s authors, David Weisburd, Clair V. Uding, Kiseong Kuen, and Beidi Dong determined that the false assumptions provided opportunities for improved crime prevention in high crime areas.
The researchers studied 300 “hot spot” streets in Baltimore and compared them to “cold” streets, which have little to no crime and “cool” streets which fall in the middle. They found that hot spot streets had the same community networks that the other had. The “hot spots” were treated differently assuming the crime culture and mental health issues were overwhelming.
“By reinforcing a perception of communities with little ability to advance informal social controls, and with little capability to contribute to collaborative problem-solving programs, they have often led to a paternalistic approach to crime prevention that leaves hot-spot residents out of the crime-prevention equation,” the authors wrote.
There are indeed opportunities for collaborative policing approach even on the streets previously considered lost due to gang activity and street culture.
Residents of the streets controlled by gangs have a vested interest in cleaning up their communities and making neighborhoods safe, particularly for the more vulnerable residents like the elderly and families with young children.
The opportunity to improve social networks in these “hot spot” areas could offer a pathway to reducing crime even in the most crime ridden neighborhoods.
Crime has been increasing in cities all over the country, as Heartland Daily News has previously reported. The defund the police movement has left many cities with fewer officers available for protection. Without law enforcement, crime is allowed to flourish.
In New York City, crime is increasing and response times are slower due to budget cuts and the reduction in the number of police officers on the job. In Pittsburgh, the understaffing has resulted in replacing responding officers with a voice message.
In Boston , Philadelphia, and San Francisco, businesses are leaving in droves to escape the growing crime. The crime explosion in Seattle and Portland has led to a dramatic increase in homelessness.
The Manhattan Institute study concludes that community policing can change the trajectory of crime and offer relief to the crime plagued “hot spots” and gang infested streets. This should encourage elected officials to invest in those efforts.
There is hope in the potential for more and better community policing efforts. Police officers, and the community, can benefit from working collaboratively.
“We enjoy getting to know our customers,” the Carlsbad, California police department posted on X. “So to us, every day is #gettoknowyourcustomersday. The best community policing recognizes the benefit of strong police-community partnerships. You don’t need to wait for a special event to get to know us. Say, “hi.” We are out here for you.”
“Even on Baltimore’s most crime-ridden blocks, there is a latent potential for collaboration between residents and police, as well as other local agencies,” Weisburd et al write. “There is much promise here that we did not expect and much hope about the ability of these communities to play a role in improving where they live.”
“Our cities are crumbling,” Newsmax contributor Mercedes Schlapp wrote on X. “Let’s restore law and order and build community policing that will benefit all citizens.”
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