What is Giving Compass?
We connect donors to learning resources and ways to support community-led solutions. Learn more about us.
Giving Compass' Take:
• Desmond Ang et al. demonstrate how high-profile police brutality incidents reduce 911 calls, a proxy for public trust and cooperation with law enforcement.
• How can donors work to shift law enforcement practices to earn public trust and cooperation?
• Read about how we can enhance police accountability in the United States.
How do high-profile acts of police brutality affect public trust and cooperation with law enforcement? To investigate this question, we develop a new measure of civilian crime reporting that isolates changes in community engagement with police from underlying changes in crime: the ratio of police-related 911 calls to gunshots detected by ShotSpotter technology. Examining detailed data from eight major American cities, we show a sharp drop in both the call-to-shot ratio and 911 call volume immediately after the police murder of George Floyd in May 2020. Notably, reporting rates decreased significantly in both non-white and white neighborhoods across the country. These effects persist for several months, and we find little evidence that they were reversed by the conviction of Floyd’s murderer. Together, the results illustrate how acts of police violence may destroy a key input into effective law enforcement and public safety: civilian engagement and reporting.
We find evidence that high-profile acts of police violence may severely impair civilian trust and crime-reporting. Examining data for eight major cities, we show a sharp drop in the ratio of 911 calls to ShotSpotter shots immediately after George Floyd’s death. While gunfire spiked after Floyd’s killing, the total number of 911 calls dropped during the same period, resulting in a 50% decrease in civilian reporting rates.