Examining Fear: A Comparison of Blacks� Fear of Police in the U.S. Compared to Fear of Police Abroad

Abstract

Examining Fear: A Comparison of Blacks’ Fear of Police in the U.S. Compared to Fear of Police Abroad James R. Jones, Ph.D. Abstract In the United States, citizens of African Descent are more likely to have deadly force used against them by police than other ethnicities. As a result of the aforementioned, as well as perceived unfair policing practices towards Black citizens, previous research suggests that Blacks in the United States are not receptive to the police. The purpose of this research was to examine the comparison of the feeling of safety of people of African Descent when encountering police in the United States, compared to when encountering police in other countries. The research consisted of 414 participants. A closed ended survey was provided to answer the research question ―Do you feel safer when coming in contact with law enforcement in the United States or law enforcement in other countries‖. A multinomial logistic regression was conducted to determine the extent to which fear was related to the outcome measured. For brevity purposes, the terms Black, people of African Descent, andpeople who are of the African Diaspora will be used to identify and refer to all Black people residing in the United States and other countries. The term African American will be used to identify blacks with citizenship in the United States. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jlcj.v5n2a5