{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T17:51:39Z","timestamp":1783619499342,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,6]],"date-time":"2025-10-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759708800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"CUNY Interdisciplinary Research Grant","award":["IRG 2841"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["IRG 2841"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100006545","name":"National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["U01OD033245"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["U01OD033245"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100006545","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100029355","name":"Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["RWJF 79174"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RWJF 79174"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100029355","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Numerous demonstrations protesting policing practices towards the Black community have sprung up across the U.S. in recent years, especially during COVID-19. We examined the community\u2019s perception of police and its association with social (e.g., a history of discrimination and community safety) and geographical (e.g., housing type and district community) factors in New York City.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>An online survey of 393 adults in Harlem was conducted between April and September 2021. A 10-item questionnaire asked about police responsiveness, safety, and racism, with higher scores indicating more positive perception of the police. Multivariable linear regression examined the association of social and geographical factors with community perceptions of the police.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The mean score of community\u2019s perception of the police was 10.33 (SD\u2009=\u20093.73) out of 25, indicating a generally negative view. Notably, 39% doubted police\u2019s capacity to handle mental health issues, 36% felt police were disrespectful to demonstrators, and 35% perceived police behavior as racist. In the adjusted model, younger age groups (18\u221229 years old: \u03b2\u2009=\u2009\u22122.45, 95%CI: \u22123.61, \u22121.28; 30\u221239 years old: \u03b2\u2009=\u2009\u22121.80, 95%CI: \u22122.82, \u22120.77 vs. 40\u221281 years old) showed significantly less favorable perceptions of the police. Higher education (associate\u2019s or college degree: \u03b2\u2009=\u2009\u22120.83, 95%CI: \u22121.77, \u22120.10; bachelor\u2019s or graduate degree: \u03b2\u2009=\u2009\u22122.10, 95%CI: \u22123.15, \u22121.05 vs. high school or less) and being employed (\u03b2\u2009=\u2009\u22122.15, 95%CI: \u22123.32, \u22120.99 vs. unemployed) were also associated with more negative perceptions. Those living in low-income housing (\u03b2\u2009=\u2009\u22120.87, 95%CI: \u22121.62, \u22120.12) rather than market-rate housing and facing discrimination (\u03b2\u2009=\u2009\u22121.94, 95%CI: \u22122.72, \u22121.16), had more negative perceptions of the police. Interestingly, community safety during COVID-19 (\u03b2\u2009=\u2009\u22120.63, 95%CI: \u22121.05, \u22120.20) was negatively associated with community\u2019s perceptions of the police. No association was observed for gender and race\/ethnicity.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>A large proportion of Harlem residents have negative perceptions of the police, which are influenced by social and geographical factors. Implementing targeted community programs to build trust and partnerships with law enforcement may be particularly beneficial for economically disadvantaged communities exposed to violence.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0329027","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,6]],"date-time":"2025-10-06T17:26:53Z","timestamp":1759771613000},"page":"e0329027","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Community\u2019s perceptions of the police during COVID-19 in Harlem, New York, a predominantly Black community: Social and geographical dimensions"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Victoria K.","family":"Ngo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1304-4059","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Thinh T.","family":"Vu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Victoria","family":"Sunseri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Srividhya","family":"Sharma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Deborah","family":"Levine","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Malcolm A.","family":"Punter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pedro","family":"Mateu-Gelabert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Luisa N.","family":"Borrell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,6]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0329027.ref001","article-title":"Impact of police effectiveness on public trust and public cooperation with the Somalia police service: exploring the mediating role of citizen satisfaction","volume":"10","author":"A-NM Abdi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Cogent Soc Sci"},{"key":"pone.0329027.ref002","unstructured":"Ray J. 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