Using Citizen Surveys to Produce Information on the Police: The Present and Potential Uses of the National Crime Victimization Survey

• DOI: 10.3818/JRP.4.1.2002.61
• Published date: 01 December 2002
• Date: 01 December 2002
• Author: James P. Lynch
• Subject Matter: Article

Using Citizen Surveys to Produce Information on the Police • 61

*Using Citizen Surveys to Produce

Information on the Police:

The Present and Potential Uses of the

National Crime Victimization Survey

James P. Lynch

American University

JUSTICE RESEARCH AND POLICY, Vol. 4, Special Issue, Fall 2002

© 2002 Justice Research and Statistics Association

This article is based on a paper prepared for the National Research Council, Division of

Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Committee on Law and Justice, Meeting

of the Committee to Review Research on Police Policy and Practices, Washington, DC,

April 11, 2002.

*Abstract

The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is a major source of nationally

representative data on crime and the response to crime in the United States. The

survey’s potential to add to our understanding of crime and criminal justice issues

has not been fully exploited, however. One of the areas where more effective use

could be made of the information gathered by the survey is policing. This paper

suggests how the NCVS can more fully realize its potential for informing issues per-

taining to the police.