Public attitudes toward the police are often studied because of their relationship with citizens' support of the existing order. Much of the literature on the public's opinion of law enforcement personnel and organizations, however, does not provide police practitioners with a clear strategy to improve matters. The current study, based on interviews of Santa Ana, California residents, represents an attempt to assess the relative influence of individual characteristics, perceptions, and ecological conditions on attitudes toward the police. The results suggest specific mechanisms by which the police might improve the public's opinion of them.

This study employed a quasi-experimental design to test the effect of a "Weed and Seed" program in a Santa Ana, California, neighborhood. The authors were specifically interested in learning how it affected the residents' attitudes about their neighborhood and their fear of crime. Interviews were conducted before and after a major "gang sweep" and Seeding in a targeted community. The results of the analyses failed to reveal any positive effects of the program on residents' attitudes and may have had the unintended consequence of enhancing citizens' fears of gang activity and crime.