Victim Assessment of the Police Response To Burglary

Abstract

This article surveys victims of household burglary who have contacted the police and reports their assessments of their interactions with the police. The sample comprises 257 victims who reported household burglaries to the police in Charlotte, North Carolina, in July 1995. Particular emphasis is placed on whether positive evaluations of police performance are influ enced more by (1) characteristics of the incident, (2) police handling of the victim and the case, (3) apprehension of the offender and/or recovery of stolen property or (4) the victim's background characteristics. The re sults indicate that it is the police handling of the victim and the case that exert the greatest effect on citizen satisfaction. This suggests that greater attention should be paid to the manner in which police officers interact with crime victims and that the officers should provide victims with infor mation and advice that is pertinent to their particular victimization.