Neighborhood Police Encounters, Health, And Violence In A Southern City

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Criminology
• Sociology

Background:

• Disproportionate police surveillance and encounters in US communities may exacerbate health and violence inequities.
• Frequent and aggressive policing is associated with diminished community health and well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between neighborhood police stop-and-frisk encounters and health outcomes.
• To investigate the association between police encounters and violence rates in New Orleans.

Main Methods:

• Ecological, cross-sectional study design.
• Utilized local police reports, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, and census data.
• Analyzed data considering concentrated disadvantage and residential segregation.

Main Results:

• Police stop-and-frisk encounters were over three times higher for Black adults compared to White adults.
• Neighborhoods with higher police encounter rates showed significantly higher prevalence of smoking, physical inactivity, and poor physical health.
• Higher encounter rates correlated with significantly more violent crime and domestic violence incidents.

Conclusions:

• Neighborhood policing levels are significantly associated with adverse health outcomes and increased violence.
• Racial disparities in police encounters persist and are linked to health inequities.
• Policy interventions are needed to address the complex relationship between policing, health, and violence.