Police and Community in Chicago ─ A Tale of Three Cities

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 Chicago reveals 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 Chicago will serve the needs of an increasing amount of students, scholars, and professionals interested in the most effective and harmonious means of keeping communities safe.

Wesley G. Skogan is Professor of Political Science and Faculty Fellow of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University. An expert on crime and policing, he is author of Community Policing, Chicago Style, and On the Beat: Police and Community Problem Solving , two books based on his years of studying Chicago's Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS). His research focuses on the interface between the public and the criminal justice system.