Nielson Kyler R, Zhang Yan, Ingram Jason R
Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77341-2296, United States of America.
J Crim Justice. 2022 Sep-Oct;82:101943. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2022.101943. Epub 2022 May 31.
This study examined the impact of COVID-19 on police reactive and proactive activities in Houston, Texas. Seven types of police officer reactivity and three distinct categories of proactivity were examined.
Weekly calls for service data from January 1, 2018-December 31, 2020 were analyzed through interrupted time series using ARIMA models.
Police responses to property, traffic-related activities, and service-related calls all decreased when compared to previous years. A significant increase was observed for violent crime calls. Self-initiated activities performed by specialized crime units significantly decreased, but there was a significant increase in self-initiated patrol. Activities performed by a specialized response unit initially increased, but then went back to pre-pandemic levels following the death of George Floyd.
Observed decreases in reactivity may be attributed to changes in citizens' routine activities. COVID-19 was associated with increased demands for police responses to violence, consistent with extant research. A unique contribution of this study was the incorporation of officer proactivity. Changes to proactive patrol could also be attributed to changes in the routine activities of citizens. This study adds to the growing body of literature examining the impact of COVID-19 on police services.
本研究考察了新冠疫情对得克萨斯州休斯敦市警方反应性和主动性活动的影响。研究考察了七种警察反应类型和三类不同的主动性类型。
使用自回归积分滑动平均（ARIMA）模型，通过中断时间序列分析了2018年1月1日至2020年12月31日的每周服务请求数据。
与前几年相比，警方对财产、交通相关活动和服务相关呼叫的反应均有所减少。暴力犯罪呼叫显著增加。专门犯罪单位开展的主动行动显著减少，但主动巡逻显著增加。专门反应单位开展的活动最初有所增加，但在乔治·弗洛伊德死后又回到了疫情前的水平。
观察到的反应性下降可能归因于市民日常活动的变化。新冠疫情与警方应对暴力事件的需求增加有关，这与现有研究一致。本研究的独特贡献在于纳入了警察的主动性。主动巡逻的变化也可能归因于市民日常活动的变化。本研究为考察新冠疫情对警务服务影响的不断增加的文献增添了内容。
