Police and Community in Chicago A Tale of Three Cities [Paperback]

Highly popular with both the public and political leaders, community policing is the most important development in law enforcement in the last twenty-five years. But does community policing really work? Can police departments fundamentally change their organization? Can neighborhood problems be solved? In the early 1990s, Chicago, the nation's third largest city, instituted the nation's largest community policing initiative. Wesley G. Skogan here provides the first comprehensive evaluation of that citywide program, examining its impact on crime, neighborhood residents, and the police.

Based on the results of a thirteen-year study, including interviews, citywide surveys, and sophisticated statistical analyses,Police and Community in Chicagoreveals a city divided among African-Americans, Whites, and Latinos. By looking at the varying effects community policing had on each of these groups, Skogan provides a valuable analysis of what works and why. As the use of community policing increases and issues related to race and immigration become more pressing,Police and Community in Chicagowill serve the needs of an increasing amount of students, scholars, and professionals interested in the most effective and harmonious means of keeping communities safe.

List of Figures and Tables
Acknowledgments
1. Community Policing
2. Crime, Police and the Three Chicagos
3. Reengineering the Police
4. Involving the Community
5. Representing the Community
6. Tackling Neighborhood Problems
7. Trends in Neighborhood Problems
8. Trends in Crime and Fear
9. Police and the Public
10. How did Chicago Do?

A landmark study of the social, political and institutional contexts of Chicago's community policing initiative. Skogan identifies critical challenges facing city leaders to democratize policing while confronting widening racial breaches in public confidence in the police. A must-read for big city mayors and police chiefs.l#Ç