Positive impact of neighborhood policing in Ponca City

Abstract

A descriptive review is brought to an early exploring of the effectiveness of a neighborhood community policing structure in place in a community district comprising part of southwest Ponca City, Oklahoma. Several dimensions comprise this analysis for determining the program's effec­tiveness, including items measuring public fear of crime, neighborhood conditions and problems, public opinion of police services_ in the neighborhood, and. o_ther quality of life indicators. !he findings show the structure of neighborhood community policing to provide a broad and pos1t1ve effect for Westside residents in reducing public perception of their risk of crime, in improving public perception of neighborhood conditions, in the decline in public perception of neighborhood problems, as well as in the increased positive opinion of the police and police services. Implica­tions are identified for communities and police departments either anticipating the adoption of or having a strong interests in establishing community policing initiatives of their own.