The challenge
Low trust in police, especially among Black residents, undermines cooperation and public safety.
The case
In 2018 the New Haven Police Department worked with researchers Kyle Peyton, Michael Sierra-Arévalo and David Rand on a randomized experiment. Of 1,852 households that completed a baseline survey, 926 were assigned a short, unannounced visit from a uniformed patrol officer who explained it was a non-enforcement community policing call, asked for feedback and left a card with a direct phone number. Officers reached 412 of the 1,007 people assigned. Surveys 3 and 21 days later showed clearly better attitudes toward police, including perceived legitimacy and willingness to cooperate. The effect among Black residents who were reached was about 11 points on a 0–100 scale, roughly twice the 6-point effect among white residents.
Why it worked
A single respectful, non-enforcement contact shifted views most among the groups that trusted police least, showing that the quality of everyday contact matters. Results lasted at least three weeks but longer-run effects and replication elsewhere are untested.
Sources
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