Policing the homeless: policy, practice, and perceptions

Abstract

PurposeThe homeless are a common sight in many cities and their actions frequently bring them into contact with the police. However, little is known about police policy and the homeless. The aim of this research was to examine policy, practices, and perceptions of the police and the homeless.Design/methodology/approachA survey was mailed to 100 police departments in the United States to gather information about their policies, resources, and amount of contact with the homeless. A Chi square statistical analysis was conducted to assist in comparing departments on key issues. In addition, interviews were conducted with police officers and homeless individuals to gain further insight into their perceptions and experiences.FindingsPolicing issues with the homeless were examined by size of the department, municipality, and size of the population served. Law enforcement agencies of all sizes and jurisdictions encountered homeless individuals. Large municipal agencies had the most frequent contact, and provided the most services. However, these departments did not have significantly more training or information provided to officers regarding the homeless. The narratives from the interviews revealed a level of frustration and feelings of being burdened from officers, and a sense of being harassed and targeted from the homeless.Research limitations/implicationsThe survey was only conducted with 100 departments as a pilot study, and the interviews were only conducted in one city. Future research would extend the survey to more departments and gather more information from officers and homeless individuals.Originality/valueResults from the present work advance our understanding of the relatively under‐studied relations and social dynamics between law enforcement and the homeless – providing both a qualitative and quantitative assessment. There are several policy recommendations for law enforcement administrators and organizations that assist the homeless.