Understanding the psychosocial development of neighborhoods: Implications for situational policing

Community policing strategies are aimed at reducing crime and getting neighbors more involved. These goals of achieving safe neighborhoods seem just outside of the police department\u27s reach. The police have been unable to achieve sustained satisfaction with the residents while also deterring crime and disorder. Research has suggested that collective efficacy within neighborhoods has a strong relation to the level of crime and disorder (Sampson, 1999). Assuming that neighborhoods have unique properties/characteristics, other researchers explored the idea that neighborhoods behave like groups and develop through identifiable stages (Nolan, 2004). Using qualitative methods inside the Pittsburgh Police Department and in four neighborhoods on the North side of the city, this research examines whether the police and community share the same psychological boundaries of their neighborhood, the beliefs of who is responsible for maintaining order in the neighborhood, and beliefs about the effectiveness of police for maintaining order in the neighborhood