Pre and post‐test differences between Vietnamese and Latino residents involved in a community policing experiment – Reducing fear of crime and improving attitudes towards the police

To address a persistent crime problem in a large, high crime apartment complex occupied by Latino and Vietnamese immigrants in Garden Grove, California, the local police department opened a storefront office. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact this community policing effort had on the residents of the complex in terms of reducing fear of crime and improving attitudes towards the police. A questionnaire was administered to the residents before opening the storefront office and at the conclusion of the project. Despite group differences, the results revealed that the intervention had a positive impact on both groups. Overall, Latinos reported less fear of crime after the intervention and improved perception of the police. The Vietnamese reported more fear of crime than Latinos (pre and post) but less fear of crime after the intervention. However, their attitudes towards the police, which were very positive on the pretest, did not improve on the post‐test.