Exploring the dimensions of trust in the police among Chicago juveniles

Abstract

Youths' opinions about the police matter and can affect officers' ability to perform their duties. The relationship between police officers and youths, however, is often highly strained. Despite the importance of trust in effective police programming, little is known about youngsters' trust in the police and the association between trust and other views and experiences of adolescents. In a quantitative multivariate model, the current study assessed several correlates of Stoutland's (2001) dimensions of police trust in a large sample of Chicago youths. The study examined the relationship between youths' trust in the police and their attitudes, beliefs, experiences, behaviors, and background characteristics. Supportive of Stoutland's (2001) results, the investigation found that trust in the police was a multidimensional construct. The current study also found a relationship between vicarious experiences and trust and evidence for the negativity or asymmetrical bias that has appeared in previous studies of police-citizen contacts.