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Objectives: <p>Test how police communication during short, non-enforcement contacts with citizens in a community-oriented policing intervention affects public perceptions of the police and citizens’ reporting.</p> Methods: <p>Randomized field experiment implemented with 980 households in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Officers carried out door-to-door visits randomly varying two elements: uniform type (tactical vs. community-oriented) and delivery of a verbal message emphasizing collaboration in public safety. Outcomes are compared across household groups according to experimental assignment.</p> Results: <p>Uniform type had no effects. By contrast, the verbal message increased citizen reporting of local problems by 6 percent and raised trust and satisfaction by 0.16−0.20 standard deviations.</p> Conclusions: <p>These findings suggest that relational approaches to strengthening police-public interactions depend not only on the frequency of contact, but also on the content and structure of interactions. Changes in communication practices, especially when consistent with organizational objectives, have the potential to enhance police-community relations.</p>

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How police communication influences citizen perceptions and cooperation: A field experiment on community policing in Mexico

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月27日

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  • Rodrigo Canales,
  • Juan Francisco Santini

摘要

Objectives:

Test how police communication during short, non-enforcement contacts with citizens in a community-oriented policing intervention affects public perceptions of the police and citizens’ reporting.

Methods:

Randomized field experiment implemented with 980 households in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Officers carried out door-to-door visits randomly varying two elements: uniform type (tactical vs. community-oriented) and delivery of a verbal message emphasizing collaboration in public safety. Outcomes are compared across household groups according to experimental assignment.

Results:

Uniform type had no effects. By contrast, the verbal message increased citizen reporting of local problems by 6 percent and raised trust and satisfaction by 0.16−0.20 standard deviations.

Conclusions:

These findings suggest that relational approaches to strengthening police-public interactions depend not only on the frequency of contact, but also on the content and structure of interactions. Changes in communication practices, especially when consistent with organizational objectives, have the potential to enhance police-community relations.