The main purpose of this dissertation is to extend the scope of ecological research, by investigating the effects of police social control on social ties, social cohesion, and informal social control. To accomplish this goal, the author proposes a new comprehensive measure of police social control, independent from the effects of demographic characteristics and experiences of individuals, structural components of community, and neighborhood social problems – including crime, victimization, disorder, and police deviance. The data used in this dissertation are collected by secondary sources including the 2000 Census, 2000 Household Survey in Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky, and Crime Data provided by two Kentucky police departments. Two main analytical techniques – HLM and M-plus 5.0 are utilized to examine the multilevel regression models and to draw the multilevel pathway models.

The results found in this dissertation show the positive associations between formal social control and informal social control. In addition, police social control has a positive influence on social cohesion. Compared to the effects of community processes (e.g. neighboring, participation in community organization, social cohesion), demographic characteristics of respondents, structural components of communities, and community crime problems (e.g. crime rates, victimization, police harassment, disorder) are inferior to explain informal social control. The findings also reveal that residents’ social interactions can activate informal social control directly or indirectly by enhancing social cohesion. However, the prediction of social interactions is more complex than expected.

This dissertation suggests the importance of citizens’ perception of the police, which can be a new measure of police social control since this measure reflect the community’s ability to solicit external resources and the police agency’s ability to control community social problems. This new measure of police social control has, this dissertation finds, associations with the community’s ability to share common values and the community’s ability to maintain social order. In addition, the results show the undermining effects of community disorder in determining community solidarity and informal social control. Policy implications and theoretical lessons are discussed. Finally, several recommendations for future research are made.