Perceptions of Southwestern African-Americans with regard to safety and the police: An exploratory study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions of African-Americans in the Southwest with regard to police, crime, and safety. As part of a larger study of a 12,500 sample of White, Asian, Hispanic, American Indian, and African-Americans, a questionnaire was mailed to 5,000 randomly sampled African-Americans, stratified by gender, age, State of residence, and area of residence. Frequency analyses, t-test analyses, and ANOVA analyses, were conducted. Results indicated that African-American males had more positive attitudes toward safety than females. Also noted was that the age group of 60+ had more positive attitudes toward police than other age groups (18-25, 26-40, 40-60), as well as a better awareness of community policing than the age group of 18-25.