DOI: 10.3886/icpsr38930.v1
title: A Place-based Approach to Address Youth-Police Officer Interactions in Crime Hotspots: A Randomized Controlled Trial, 3 U.S. cities, 2021-2023
title: Version 1

description: This study combines elements of community policing and problem-oriented policing (POP) to examine the effect of a place-based policing strategy that emphasizes
POP and patrol officer training in law enforcement officers (LEO)-youth interactions and youth crime prevention (POP for Youth[YPOP]) on crime outcomes and related community outcomes in 128 crime hotspots across three mid-Atlantic sites within the same county. Between July 2021 and November 2022, one third of the hotspots received traditional POP services, one third received POP for Youth treatment (POP with an emphasis on positive youth interactions), and the remaining third received regular patrol services for an intervention period of 13-16 months. The YPOP intervention was evaluated using multiple data sources, including reported intervention activities, official police data, and community surveys. The main objectives of this YPOP initiative were to: (1) Examine the impact of YPOP on crime; and (2) explore the impact of YPOP on young community member's perception of safety (victimization and fear of crime), perceptions of police and relations with the community, police legitimacy, and community collective efficacy in targeted areas.
description: The purpose of this study was to test whether place-based proactive problem-oriented policing (POP) strategies combined with training for patrol law enforcement officers (LEOs) in youth interactions and crime prevention can be implemented to achieve crime reduction and broader community/youth and officer benefits. The study had three main goals: (1) to examine the effectiveness of POP for Youth in reducing property and violent crime; (2) to assess the effect of the intervention on youth perceptions of police legitimacy, experience of LEO-youth interactions, and feelings of safety; (3) to (qualitatively) assess the impact on LEO attitudes, knowledge and experience of interacting with youth.
The central research questions were:
What is the impact of POP Only and POP for Youth interventions on violent and property crime counts in crime hot spots?
What is the impact of POP Only and POP for Youth on youth's experience of LEO-youth interactions, their perception of safety, and policy legitimacy in targeted hot spots?
What is the impact of POP for Youth on LEOs' attitudes, knowledge, and skills, their experience of LEO-youth interactions, and their perception of policy safety?
description: The study was conducted in three mid-Atlantic cities within the same county. These three cities have similar demographic characteristics, with populations ranging from 25,000 to 75,000 people and city square mileage between 6.49 and 68.99 square miles.
description: Response Rates: Wave 1 Survey Response Rate: 2.0%
Wave 2 Survey Response Rate: 2.2%
description: A US Postal Service (USPS) delivery sequence file (DSF) as the sampling frame was used. For all cities, the samples were drawn using a stratified random sampling approach stratified by hot spot size.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Wave 1 Community Survey
DS2: Wave 2 Community Survey
description: English-speaking persons aged 12 to 24 years old living in one of the selected hot spot areas, for 6 months or longer.
description: face-to-face interview; web-based survey