Policing the police: predicting citizen support for police accountability

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recently, there has been a push for policies that seek to increase police accountability. Two of these policies, requiring independent investigations and prosecutions of police shootings, have been suggested by academics and activists. Using a sample of undergraduate college students from a large Midwestern university, this study examines the extent and correlates of support for these two policies. The results of the study indicate that both policies enjoy overwhelming support. Respondents who perceive police officers to be like soldiers in a war on crime are less likely to support both policies while those who believe police misconduct to be more common are more likely to support them. Symbolic racism was predictive of a lack of support for independent investigations. Based on the findings, we recommend that more jurisdictions adopt these policies, so that they may improve perceptions of transparency and legitimacy compared to international contexts now relying on citizen reviews.