Determinants of citizen satisfaction with the police

Empirical findings on the determinants of perceived satisfaction with the police generally have been sparse and inconclusive. More importantly, most studies have failed to control for the confounding effects of race and residential location on perceived satisfaction. Presents a contribution to the evaluation of public perceptions of the police. Using multiple classification analysis, examines whether race and residential location interact in their effects on citizen attitudes toward the police. Concludes that there is little support for the view that minorities in general are less satisfied with police performance. Suggests that perceived satisfaction with the police is determined by residential location rather than racial factors.