Examine Police Officers Research Articles

An Investigation of Civilian Implicit Attitudes Toward Police Officers

This research investigated civilian implicit attitudes toward police. Previous research has solely used explicit measures (or examined police officers’ implicit reactions to civilians). Two studies assessed the implicit activation of safety and fear when participants were primed with police using a Word Fragment Completion Task (e.g., Johnson and Lord 2010). In a college sample, police primes led to increased safety and decreased fear construct activation, whereas in an online sample, both safety and fear became more accessible. Overall, results indicated that a wide range of individual differences in implicit attitudes toward police exist, that implicit reactions to police officers might be distinct from explicit global evaluations, and that, despite the existence of negative police-civilian interactions, the appearance of police officers might still tend to activate safety-related thoughts. The findings prompt the need to further assess the underlying cognitive components of civilian attitudes toward police officers.

Police Officers’ Perceptions of Statement Inconsistency

We examined police officers’ ( N = 71) perceptions of statement inconsistency types (within-statement, between-statement, statement-evidence, and within-group inconsistencies). Approximately half of the officers reported looking for statement inconsistency to detect deception. Officers generally associated contradictions and omissions with deception, and repetitions and reminiscences with truthfulness, but they were most likely to use contradictions. Officers reported using statement-evidence inconsistency more than any other inconsistency type, and they believed it was the easiest type to assess. Younger officers tended to believe that liars attempt to eliminate within-statement inconsistency unless they are strategically presented with incriminating evidence. Moreover, the majority of officers indicated that they have used drawings to assess inconsistencies with suspects’ verbal statements. Finally, suspects’ criminal history, intelligence, and personality were believed to influence statement (in)consistency. These findings are discussed in light of the literature on statement inconsistency, and recommendations regarding the applied use of statement inconsistency types are offered.

Police Officers’ Rape Myth Acceptance: Examining the Role of Officer Characteristics, Estimates of False Reporting, and Social Desirability Bias

This study examines police officers’ perceptions of sexual assault and those who report sexual assault to the police, using a revised version of the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale along with a measure of social desirability bias. The study includes survey responses from 174 officers from 1 mid-sized police department in the Great Lakes region. Results show low to moderate levels of rape myth acceptance scores on the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale, with highest scores related to victim lying. Officers report very high estimates of false reporting, indicating some rape myth acceptance. Officer level of education, rank, and estimates of false reporting influence rape myth acceptance; however, social desirability bias is an important explanatory factor. Implications for measurement and training are discussed.

Police Officers' Rape Myth Acceptance: Examining the Role of Officer Characteristics, Estimates of False Reporting, and Social Desirability Bias.

This study examines police officers' perceptions of sexual assault and those who report sexual assault to the police, using a revised version of the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale along with a measure of social desirability bias. The study includes survey responses from 174 officers from 1 mid-sized police department in the Great Lakes region. Results show low to moderate levels of rape myth acceptance scores on the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale, with highest scores related to victim lying. Officers report very high estimates of false reporting, indicating some rape myth acceptance. Officer level of education, rank, and estimates of false reporting influence rape myth acceptance; however, social desirability bias is an important explanatory factor. Implications for measurement and training are discussed.

Police officers’ ability to detect lies within a deception paradigm.

This study aimed to examine police officers’ accuracy in classifying guilty and innocent participants using 3 interviewing styles (evidence-focused, relationship-focused, and control). In a modified version of Russano, Meissner, Narchet, and Kassin’s (2005) deception paradigm, participants who had violated a rule (i.e., cheating while solving problems) were considered guilty, whereas those who had followed the rule were considered innocent. After interviewing 234 adult men, 11 experienced male police officers accurately classified over 90% of them as guilty or innocent. Of 160 participants who did not admit to cheating, 140 (87.5%) were correctly classified. There was no statistically significant relationship between interviewing style and police officers’ identifications of guilty deniers (i.e., liars) and innocent deniers (truth tellers). However, interviewers were more likely to believe guilty deniers in the evidence-focused condition, and they tended to believe innocent deniers in the relationship-focused condition. These findings suggest that the ability to detect deception might be influenced by interviewing style.

Police Perceptions of Cybercrime in South Korea: Implications for Combating Cyberterrorism and Cooperation with Private Security

In this paper, authors examine police officers` perceptions of cybercrime and cyberterrorism in South Korea. Specifically, 398 police officers attending training programs at Police Training Institute have responded to a questionnaire about cybercrime in general, seriousness and frequency of cyber terror offenses, and strategies needed to control cybercrime. The results of this exploratory study provide policy implications for effective prevention of and response to cybercrime and cyberterrorism in South Korea. Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine police officers` perceptions of cybercrime in South Korea. To illustrate, the authors aim to assess how the participants view the nature, the seriousness, and the frequency of occurrence of and effective countermeasures for the offenses that fall under the category of cyberterrorism. Methods: Police officers attending different training sessions at Police Training Institute (PTI) in South Korea during summer 2014 are recruited to complete a questionnaire. A total of 398 officers have participated in the survey after being informed of its voluntary and confidential nature. The returned questionnaires are coded and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: The results show that the majority of the participants believe cybercrime in South Korea is more than minor annoyance and is the most serious problem in South Korean society. Also, voice phishing and phishing, malicious software, and identity theft that are categorized as cyber terror are perceived to be serious offenses. Furthermore, developing partnerships with Internet service providers and establishing interagency cooperation are thought to be vital strategies in combating cybercrime and cyberterrorism. Conclusion: The findings of this study have important policy implications. Particularly, as shown by the participants` perceptions, public-private cooperation is important in responding to cybercrime, including cyber terror offenses, effectively.

Police officers' perceptions and experiences with mentally disordered suspects

Despite mentally disordered suspects being over-represented within the criminal justice system, there is a dearth of published literature that examines police officers' perceptions when interviewing this vulnerable group. This is concerning given that police officers are increasingly the first point of contact with these individuals. Using a Grounded Theory approach, this study examined 35 police officers' perceptions and experiences when interviewing mentally disordered suspects. Current safeguards, such as Appropriate Adults, and their experiences of any training they received were also explored. A specially designed questionnaire was developed and distributed across six police forces in England and Wales. Nine conceptual categories emerged from the data that highlighted how police officers' level of experience impacted upon their perceptions when dealing with this cohort. As a consequence, a new model grounded within Schema Theory has emerged termed Police Experience Transitional Model. Implications include the treatment and outcome of mentally disordered suspects being heavily dependent on whom they encounter within the criminal justice system.

Wellbeing of Professionals Working with Suspected Victims of Child Sexual Exploitation

The present study examined police officers' and social workers' experiences of investigating child sexual exploitation (CSE) cases and the impact on their welfare. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with frontline social workers and law enforcement professionals. Practitioners reported that they seldom reacted emotionally during forensic interviews because they were attending entirely to the victims while gathering evidence. Although some practitioners employed post‐interview stress management techniques, anticipatory coping strategies were seldom adopted, and most coping methods were employed outside of the workplace (e.g., spending time with family). Practitioners focused on the needs of young people, almost to the exclusion of their own. Many did not consider the negative emotional impact of CSE cases on their welfare. These findings have important implications for practitioner wellbeing. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.‘Examined police officers' and social workers' experiences of investigating child sexual exploitation (CSE) cases and the impact on their welfare’Key Practitioner Messages Practitioners rarely considered the emotional effects that CSE cases might have on them or ways to psychologically prepare themselves before meeting with young people. Practitioners reported a variety of ways they managed the impact of working with CSE which most often occurred outside of the workplace; a number of these ways could be actively promoted and developed within police forces and local authorities, especially preventative coping strategies. ‘Practitioners reported a variety of ways they managed the impact of working with CSE’

Police understandings of restorative justice—the impact of rank and role

AbstractThe issue of a disparity between restorative justice theory and restorative practices has been widely examined. Daly argues gaps are to be expected because there is a lack of understanding around what restorative justice is. This research uses qualitative data from four focus groups and ten interviews (n = 41) to examine police officers' understandings of what restorative justice is, and equally as important, what it is not. Overall findings suggest a continuum of understanding exists across a police force, with higher-ranking officers expressing more nuanced understanding of the theoretical concepts, key values, and fundamental beliefs of restorative justice than frontline practitioners who were more concerned with the practical aspects of how to ‘do it’. This paper will argue that the role of police culture cannot be ignored and that gaps between theory and practice will continue unless the practical considerations in relation to restorative justice are addressed.

Police officers' trust beliefs in the police and their psychological adjustment

The public's trust in the police has been the focus of extensive investigation. By contrast, there is a scarcity of research examining police officers' trust in the police. The purpose of the current study was to fill that gap in our knowledge. This study examined police officers' own trust in the police (i.e., personal trust beliefs) and how much they perceived that the public trust the police (i.e., public-ascribed trust beliefs). This study examined whether these two types of trust beliefs differed and whether each statistically accounted for police officers' psychological adjustment. Trust beliefs comprise expectations that police officers kept promises (reliability basis), told the truth (honesty basis) and kept information confidential and supportive of it (emotional basis). One hundred and eighty-three (142 male) police officers completed measures of personal trust beliefs in the police, public-ascribed trust beliefs in the police, psychological well-being and workplace stress. It was found that the police officers held higher personal honesty-based and emotional-based trust beliefs in the police than they ascribed to the public. Police officers' reliability-based personal trust beliefs in the police were positively associated with their psychological well-being and negatively associated with their stress in the workplace. Police officers' emotional-based public-ascribed trust beliefs in the police were positively associated with their psychological well-being and tended to be negatively associated with their stress in the workplace. The findings confirmed that police officers' personal and public-ascribed trust beliefs in the police differed and each statistically accounted for psychological adjustment.

Changes in Police Officers' Physical Performance after 16 Years of Work

The aim of this retrospective longitudinal study is to examine police officers' physical performance on four physical tests over time. We compared police officers' test results at graduation with t...

‘There is no justice in a police department’: a phenomenological study of police experiences

This is a qualitative study using a phenomenological approach that examines police officers’ experiences with and perceptions of justice within their departments. The main research question under investigation in this study is: How do officers perceive organizational justice within their departments? Interviews with current and former police officers were conducted over a five-month period, and the officers’ responses were analyzed in order to identify themes related to the research question. Findings indicate that most police officers experienced or witnessed some form of unfairness within their department and these perceptions are related to the officers’ sense of value.

ZMĘCZENIE PRZEWLEKŁE A STRATEGIE RADZENIA SOBIE ZE STRESEM W PRACY U FUNKCJONARIUSZY POLICJI

Work as one of the most important activities in human life is related to stressful and difficult situations. Police officers make one of the many occupational groups that are particularly threatened by contact with a number of stressors. Therefore, their strategies of coping with stress are particularly important, because they play an important role in their functioning at work. The nature of the service as well as shift work and psychological costs incurred by police officers contribute to the emergence of chronic fatigue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of chronic fatigue in police officers and its relationship with the strategies of coping with occupational stress. A group of 61 police officers was examined. The following research methods were used: 1) Latack Coping Scale examining stress coping strategies at work (positive thinking, direct action, avoidance/resignation, seeking help, alcohol or stimulants use); 2) Mood Assessment Questionnaire CIS-20R examining the level of chronic fatigue and its components (subjective feeling of fatigue, impaired attention and concentration, reduced motivation, reduced activity); 3) Personal questionnaire providing socio-demographic data. It was found that the level of chronic fatigue in the group of the examined police officers was high (sten 8th). The most often used strategies of coping with stress were direct action and positive thinking, and the least often used strategy was the use of alcohol and stimulants. A significant negative correlation between the general level of chronic fatigue and the avoidance/resignation strategy was found. The results indicate that chronic fatigue is a problem affecting police officers and it is related to the stress coping strategies used.

An Examination of Police Officers’ Beliefs About How Children Report Abuse

The aim of this study was to examine police officers’ beliefs about how children report abuse. Fifty-two officers read transcripts of nine interviews, which were conducted with actual children or adults playing the role of the child witness. Officers indicated whether they thought the interviews were with an actual child and justified their decisions. In-depth interviews were conducted to determine the reasons behind their decisions. Overall, officers’ decisions were no better than chance. When making these decisions, officers focused on three areas: whether they considered the child's language to be age-appropriate, whether they thought that the content of the statement was plausible, and whether they thought that the child had acted in a manner consistent with recollecting a traumatic event. The findings suggest that the characteristics officers rely on when evaluating children's statements of abuse are not reliable indicators. They suggest that officers’ beliefs about these statements need to be challenged during training to reduce the effects of those beliefs on their later decisions.

Daily work experiences and police performance

This study examined police officers’ perceptions of daily operational and organizational work experiences and their relationship with performance in two large urban police departments in the Midwest and the Middle Atlantic regions (USA). The findings were mixed: (1) organizational work experiences showed a higher mean score than operational work experiences; (2) there was no significant difference between cities on organizational and operational work experiences; and (3) multiple regression models for both organizational and operational work experiences predicted performance. Future research should examine work experiences in smaller and mid-size police agencies, suburban and rural agencies and widen the participant pool to include superior officers and civilian personnel.

Same-sex domestic violence: why victims are more at risk

The purpose of this study was to examine police officers' general knowledge, experience and training in the area of same-sex domestic violence. A survey was administered to 91 police officers from 5 towns in Illinois. The study revealed that a majority of officers had encountered at least one same-sex domestic violence call within the last six months. In contrast, officers reported very little training in their departments regarding this issue. While previous research studies suggest that same-sex domestic violence and opposite-sex domestic violence have a roughly equivalent frequency rate, the current study finds that police officers are encountering same-sex domestic violence on a regular basis. However, a lack of training may render cases of same-sex violence more difficult for officers, as training in same-sex violence is not as readily available as is training for opposite-sex violence.

Same-Sex Domestic Violence: Why Victims are More at Risk

The purpose of this study was to examine police officers' general knowledge, experience and training in the area of same-sex domestic violence. A survey was administered to 91 police officers from 5 towns in Illinois. The study revealed that a majority of officers had encountered at least one same-sex domestic violence call within the last six months. In contrast, officers reported very little training in their departments regarding this issue. While previous research studies suggest that same-sex domestic violence and opposite-sex domestic violence have a roughly equivalent frequency rate, the current study finds that police officers are encountering same-sex domestic violence on a regular basis. However, a lack of training may render cases of same-sex violence more difficult for officers, as training in same-sex violence is not as readily available as is training for opposite-sex violence.

Policing Domestic Violence: The Significance of Charging in the Post-Arrest Decision Making of Police Officers

During the 1980s many state legislatures enacted laws to address domestic violence cases, including mandatory arrest and warrantless arrest in a misdemeanor domestic violence incident. The domestic violence arrest decision has been extensively examined, but this is not the final decision point for officers. This research examined police officers’ decisions when listing criminal charges in domestic violence incidents. Using a vignette research design, data come from 267 police officers in a large department. Most police officers listed the criminal charge that would be expected based on the conditions described in the vignette. Specific factors increased the likelihood of misdemeanor and felony level criminal charges being listed.

Use of Force Preferences and Perceived Effectiveness of Actions Among Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Police Officers and Non-CIT Officers in an Escalating Psychiatric Crisis Involving a Subject With Schizophrenia

Few studies have examined police officers' use of force toward individuals with schizophrenia, despite the widely disseminated Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model of partnership between mental health and law enforcement that seeks to reduce use of force and enhance safety of officers and individuals with mental illnesses. This study tested the hypotheses that CIT-trained officers would select a lower level of force, identify nonphysical actions as more effective, and perceive physical force as less effective in an escalating psychiatric crisis, compared with non-CIT-trained officers. Police officers (n = 135)-48 CIT trained and 87 non-CIT trained-completed a survey containing 3 scenario-based vignettes depicting an escalating situation involving a subject with psychosis. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analyses of variance. Officers escalated their preferred actions across the scenarios. A significant scenario by group interaction indicated that CIT-trained officers chose less escalation (ie, opting for less force at the third scenario) than non-CIT-trained officers. Officers reported decreasing perceived effectiveness of nonphysical action across the 3 scenarios. A significant scenario by group interaction indicated that CIT-trained officers reported a lesser decline in perceived effectiveness of nonphysical actions at the third scenario. CIT-trained officers consistently endorsed lower perceived effectiveness of physical force. Efforts are needed to reduce use of force toward individuals with psychotic disorders. These findings suggest that CIT may be an effective approach. In addition to clinical and programmatic implications, such findings demonstrate a role for clinicians, advocates, and schizophrenia researchers in promoting social justice through partnerships with diverse social sectors.

Police Use of Deadly Force

This article examines police officers' perceptions of their colleagues, the police organization, other criminal justice agencies, the media, the politicians, and the public toward the use of deadly force against criminals in situations known as encounters , portrayed as spontaneous shootouts between the police and hardened criminals. Interviews with 38 police officers of various ranks in Mumbai, India, reveal that they perceive an overall sense of approval or complicity for shootouts, sometimes of dubious legality, which made accountability mechanisms more a paper exercise than in actually ensuring compliance with legal and ethical standards. Though the abuse of deadly force is not unique or limited to the police force reported in this study, the perception of police officers that there is general support for, or even apathy toward, shortcut methods to deal with alleged criminals is noteworthy and has implications for policing elsewhere.