A recent study suggests that “eyes on the street” lower crime in communities and neighborhoods. Specifically, neighborhoods that have more dog-walkers experience less crime. But what is it about having dogs in a neighborhood that keeps crime down? It might not be what you expect!

It’s not the guard dog growl that keeps neighborhoods safer. Instead, it is the likelihood that neighbors know and trust each other. The research team from Ohio State University described the connection between trust and surveillance between neighbors. Before this study, it has been difficult to find ways to calculate and measure how neighbors look out for each other.

The investigators in this study used three different measures to calculate their results. They looked at the results of the “Adolescent Health and Development in Context” study, measuring trust in neighborhood communities. Then, they also considered census data about how many dogs live in the neighborhood. Finally, they considered neighborhood crime data. Looking at all three in conjunction, they discovered that neighborhoods with more dogs have even less crime than places that have strong trust between neighbors alone. Investigators were quick to point out that dog-walkers are a key part of neighborhood safety. When neighbors are walking on the streets together and having more interaction, the dog culture helps neighbors build trust!

But we don’t have to think of this as just a study about dogs. Perhaps, we should be thinking about this as a study of things that bring people out of their homes and onto their streets. 

For example, I’ve lived in a neighborhood where the children walked to the nearby elementary school. Some parents would walk their young children to and from school. While doing so, they met a few other parents who were doing the same thing. Just as importantly, they met all of the other children in the neighborhood. Neighbors began to learn where each child lived. When they later saw a parent out with a child that they knew, introductions were easy because they already knew the child. Yes, having neighborhood children walking to school, rather than taking a bus,  was good exercise for the children. But, it also greatly benefited the cohesion of a whole community.

I’ve also lived in a neighborhood where all of the children took the bus to school. When I drove by the bus stop, there were usually no parents around. Maybe a parent was watching from several yards away, but the dynamic wasn’t the same. The neighborhood was less close-knit.

Many children live in neighborhoods near schools that they could walk to, but they end up assigned to schools much further away. Shouldn’t families be able to choose to let their children walk to the closest school? Walking to and from school is good exercise, it puts eyes on the street, and it fosters community for both the children and the neighborhood. 

If I were a school board member considering intra-district school choice options, one option that I would always offer families is the right to attend the nearest school if it is within walking distance. In my experience, that’s probably about a mile for elementary school kids and two miles for middle-schoolers. I would be willing to bet that neighborhoods, where children walk to school, have less crime because it puts eyes on the street, just like having dog walkers does. And it definitely creates more cohesive communities.

If you believe in the power of dog-walkers, consider how families, walking to school, might reduce crime and enhance neighborhood trust and relationships. Interested in learning how to support such a policy? Read more here!

RESOURCES: 

Neighborhoods with more dogs see less crime, study shows, https://www.studyfinds.org/more-dogs-less-crime/