Perceptions Of Police Research Articles

Understanding Involuntary Hospitalization Applications Submitted to an Urban Police Department.

To improve understanding of the application process for temporary involuntary hospitalization (Section 12 of the Massachusetts General Laws) in Boston, the authors focused on cases involving the Boston Police Department (PD) and the information shared about the individuals involved. A retrospective analysis was conducted on all Section 12 applications submitted to the Boston PD by external clinicians from July 14, 2021, to June 30, 2022. The authors analyzed 488 applications processed by the Boston PD's Street Outreach Unit, examining demographic information, reasons for requests, information provided by petitioners, and the status of the applications (completed vs. not). The analysis revealed racial disparities: 41% of involuntary hospitalization applications were for individuals identified as Black or African American, but this racial group represents only 23% of Boston's population. Racial-ethnic data were based on police perceptions, and 21% of cases lacked race-ethnicity data. Seventy-six percent of applications were submitted without a direct clinical examination by petitioners, who did not justify the omission. The Boston PD completed 70% of the requested involuntary hospitalization orders. This study identified substantial racial disparities in Section 12 applications, which disproportionately involved Black or African American individuals. The frequent absence of direct clinical examinations before application submissions and the lack of justification indicated a need for regulatory oversight and enhanced petitioner training. Incomplete demographic data underscored the need for improved data collection and reporting practices. These findings highlight the need for reforms to ensure equitable, transparent, and best practice-aligned involuntary hospitalization processes.

Telling the untold: First Nations people’s perceptions of policing in Broken Hill and Wilcannia

ABSTRACT This article examines the ways First Nations people perceive targeted policing practices in Broken Hill and Wilcannia, New South Wales. It focuses on First Nations viewpoints and perspectives to unveil the colonial legacies of the region, their infusion into contemporary policing practice, and the pressures those legacies exert on the community. The empirical material was generated through interviews with 19 First Nations community members, in collaboration with a First Nations advisory panel. By centring First Nations perceptions of policing, it contributes to critical colonial critiques and decolonising expertise of policing, focusing on subtle and perverse acts of policing in Broken Hill and Wilcannia, and how these are perceived by First Nations people on different structural, social and personal levels. The main argument is that instances of targeted policing are perpetrated against the collective community through methods of pressure and surveillance. This collective pressure specifically targets and alienates the First Nations community while maintaining a non-Indigenous social order. In doing so, police present a legitimate form of targeted policing that impacts community wellbeing in perverse and ongoing ways. This argument and approach enrich place-specific understandings of First Nations experiences of policing and unmask the dynamic aspects of policing that the community endures.

“We just want equality”: perceptions of police, racism, and citizenship in Israel

ABSTRACT Perceptions of citizenship among minorities may change when a new generation views racism and discrimination by state authorities not as a temporary phenomenon but as an obstacle to full and meaningful citizenship. We illustrate this argument by focusing on attitudes toward the police among Jewish Israelis of Ethiopian descent, a racial immigrant minority. Our quantitative analysis shows that levels of trust in the police among them have substantially declined between 2013 and 2022. In addition, levels of trust among younger Ethiopian Israelis (age group 18–30) are lower than among older cohorts in this community. Our content analysis of media reports about Ethiopian-Israeli protesters indicates a change in how second-generation Ethiopian Israelis perceive their citizenship. On the one hand, a demand for equality based on their belonging to the collective and contribution to the Jewish-Zionist common good, while on the other hand, a rejection of the attempts to obscure institutional racism.

경찰의 바디캠 사용에 대한 연구: 시민 폭언 및 공정한 법집행과의 관계를 중심으로

In South Korea, the use of police body-worn cameras has become widespread, but research on this topic still needs to be conducted. This study empirically examined the impact of negative interactions with citizens on support for police body-worn camera usage and perceptions of procedural justice policing. This study collected data by distributing a survey to 172 trainees at the National Police Human Resources Development Institute. The results showed a significant positive (+) relationship between citizen animus and support for body-worn camera usage. However, citizen animus and support for body camera usage did not significantly impact perceptions of procedural justice policing. Finally, the relationship between citizen animus and procedural justice policing, mediated by support for body camera usage, was not statistically significant. Based on these findings, the study discussed ways to verify the expected effects of body-worn cameras.

경찰 바디캠에 대한 지각된 용이성과 지각된 유용성 탐색 연구

This study aims at investigating key factors that are associated with behavioral intention to use police body-worn camera. In particular, this study focuses on examining perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of police body-worn camera by conducting interviews toward nine police officers in South Korea. The applications of police body-worn camera has dramatically increased since 112 police hot-line report system was regarded as significant tool of enforcing law in the community. Few researches have been conducted to identify the relevant factors that are related the perception of police in terms of their perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness for the body-worn camera. This present study used qualitative research method which is based on grounded theory and attempted to focus on exploring perception of police body-worn camera by emphasizing key factors of the perception. Besides, this study conducted in-depth interviews toward nine police officers by utilizing the framework of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Results showed that intention to use the body-worn camera was so prevalent that police think that the body-worn camera can be widely applied to the other criminal justice sectors. In this context, it is necessary to consider the new ways of improving high effectiveness body-worn camera. More importantly, perceived ease of use was more likely to be associated with the objective level of effectiveness of body-worn camera, while perceived usefulness of police was more prone to be related to psychological self-defense mechanism of police officers. Further policy implications will be discussed.

Solomon Islands Police Perceptions of Australian and New Zealand Policing Assistance

Police reform is a critical component of peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and reintroducing stability in countries emerging from conflict. The assumption is that without a secure environment and a security system, sustained peace, political, economic, and cultural rebuilding is impossible. Ethnic conflict in the Solomon Islands between 1998–2003 resulted in reform of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF), carried out by the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI). This institutional reconfiguration has been presented by the Solomon Islands government and RAMSI as a success and the gold standard for reforms in the Pacific. Despite this, internal stakeholder perspectives on the effectiveness and appropriateness of post-conflict institutional reform are absent. This work analyses and explores reflections and experiences of reform held by RSIPF officers at the mission’s culmination. It interrogates critical reflections on the changes during reform, examines key concerns and drawbacks, and advances literature on post-conflict scholarship.

Police Perception of Victims of Crime: Research and Training Perspective From the Slovak Republic

The availability of crime relevant data, not excluding data on victims of crime, is a prerequisite for the optimal application of state crime control. The need to examine victims of crime and provide them with appropriate assistance is becoming a globally discussed issue. The paper aims to analyse selected data on victims of crime in the Slovak Republic through quantitative and qualitative entries, which arise from an international research project carried out at the Academy of the Police Force in Bratislava titled Implementation of the Act on Victims of Crime into Police and Victimology Practice (Research No. 255). From the methodological point of view, the research was supported by a questionnaire, selected methods and techniques of scientific cognition, such as the historical method, the study and analysis of legal documents, expert literature and statistical records.StreszczenieDostępność danych dotyczących przestępczości, nie wyłączając danych dotyczących ofiar przestępstw, jest warunkiem wstępnym optymalnego stosowania kontroli przestępczości przez państwo. Potrzeba zbadania ofiar przestępstw i zapewnienia im odpowiedniej pomocy staje się kwestią dyskutowaną na całym świecie. Artykuł ma na celu analizę wybranych danych dotyczących ofiar przestępstw w Republice Słowackiej poprzez ujęcia ilościowe i jakościowe, które wynikają z międzynarodowego projektu badawczego prowadzonego w Akademii Sił Policyjnych w Bratysławie zatytułowanego: Wdrożenie ustawy o ofiarach przestępstw do praktyki policyjnej i wiktymologicznej (Badanie nr 255). Z metodologicznego punktu widzenia badania zostały wsparte kwestionariuszem oraz wybranymi metodami i technikami poznania naukowego, takimi jak metoda historyczna, badanie i analiza dokumentów prawnych, literatury fachowej i rejestrów statystycznych.ResumenLa disponibilidad de datos sobre la delincuencia, sin excluir los datos sobre las víctimas de delitos, es un requisito previo para la aplicación óptima del control de la delincuencia por parte del Estado. La necesidad de investigar a las víctimas de delitos y proporcionarles la asistencia adecuada se está convirtiendo en un tema debatido en todo el mundo. Este artículo pretende analizar datos seleccionados sobre las víctimas de delitos en la República Eslovaca a través de instantáneas cuantitativas y cualitativas que resultan de un proyecto de investigación internacional llevado a cabo en la Academia de Policía de Bratislava titulado: Aplicación de la Ley de Víctimas de Delitos en la Práctica Policial y Victimológica (Estudio n 255). Desde un punto de vista metodológico, la investigación se apoyó en un cuestionario y enmétodos y técnicas seleccionados de cognición científica, como el método histórico, el estudio y análisis de documentos jurídicos, literatura profesional y registros estadísticos.ZusammenfassungDie Verfügbarkeit von Verbrechensdaten, einschlieβlich die Daten über Verbrechensopfer, ist eine Voraussetzung für die optimale Anwendung der Verbrechensbekämpfung durch den Staat. Die Notwendigkeit, die Opfer von Straftaten zu untersuchen und ihnen angemessene Hilfe zukommen zu lassen, ist ein weltweit diskutiertes Thema. In diesem Artikel werden ausgewählte Daten über Opfer von Straftaten in der Slowakischen Republik in einem quantitativen und qualitativen Maβe analysiert, die aus einem internationalen Forschungsprojekt an der Polizeiakademie in Bratislava mit dem Titel: Die Einführung des Gesetzes über Opfer der Straftaten zur polizeilichen und viktimologischen Praxis (Studie, Nr. 255) hervorgehen. In methodischer Hinsicht wurde die Forschung durch einen Fragebogen und ausgewählte Methoden und Techniken der wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnis unterstützt, wie z.B. die historische Methode, das Studium und die Analyse von rechtlichen Dokumenten, Fachliteratur und statistischen Register.РезюмеДоступность к данным о преступности, не исключая данные о жертвах преступлений, явля- ется необходимым условием для наиболее эффективного применения государством мер по контролю преступности. Необходимость проведения исследований в отношении жертв преступлений и предоставления им адекватной помощи становится вопросом, обсуждаемым во всем мире. Задачей данной статьи является анализ отдельных данных о жертвах преступлений в Словацкой Республике с помощью количественных и качественных показателей, полученных в результате международного исследовательского проекта, проведенного в Академии полиции в Братиславе под названием Введение в действие Закона о жертвах преступлений в рамках полицейской деятельности и виктимологической практики (исследование № 255). В методологическом плане исследование опиралось на анкету и отдельные методы и приемы научного познания, такие как исторический метод, изучение и анализ правовых документов, профессиональной литературы и статистических отчетов.

Are police as “guardian-oriented” as they should be? Expectation-reality discrepancies are related to perceptions of legitimacy

PurposeDue to instances of excessive use of force by police and in recognition of the importance of building positive police-community relationships, policymakers have urged police to become more guardian-oriented (i.e., prioritizing community safety and relationships) and less warrior-oriented (i.e., prioritizing physical control and fighting crime). The purpose of this study was to examine whether community members think police should be guardian- or warrior-oriented and how they view police in their community. MethodsYoung adult participants from Prolific Academic (N = 436) self-reported their perceptions of police in an online survey. ResultsParticipants preferred police to have more of a guardian than warrior orientation and thought police are not as guardian-oriented as they should be. Further, if police did not meet guardian expectations, participants had more negative perceptions of police legitimacy. ConclusionsExpectations for police behavior may influence police legitimation and, within the context of police reform, community members support the call for police to be more guardian-oriented by prioritizing community safety and building relationships. Fostering a guardian orientation in police is particularly important for police that are interested in promoting perceptions of legitimacy among the communities they serve.

Perceptions of police as a moderator between negative experiences and mental health symptoms.

Negative experiences with police present serious risks for mental health. However, interpretation plays a meaningful and little understood role in the effects of those experiences. This study expands on previous work exploring coping responses to negative police experiences and investigates the relation between negative experiences with police and mental health outcomes. Participants (N = 198) were from a diverse sample of young adults at a minority-serving institution. Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, and Middle Eastern/North African participants reported significantly more negative police experiences than White and Asian/Asian American participants. Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx also showed more negative perceptions of police. Negative police experiences were positively related to depression but not posttraumatic stress symptoms. There were also meaningful interactive effects between negative experiences and perceptions of police on levels of posttraumatic stress and depression, suggesting negative perceptions of police may buffer negative effects of negative police experiences. Our findings point to the importance of addressing negative encounters with police as mental health stressors, as well as effects of crucial differences in perceptions of police by race. This research contributes to a growing understanding of the complex nature and effects of experiences with police on mental health.

The Role of Police Perception in Shaping Public Meeting Attendance and Implications for Planners

This is the first study to assess how resident perception of the police is associated with public meeting attendance. Using 689 exit poll surveys in Oklahoma City, we conducted regression models to understand factors associated with meeting attendance. Our findings reveal that police perception is related to meeting attendance, especially for younger, college-educated residents who live in non-white precincts. The study also helps to differentiate resident perceptions of police compared to other public services. The findings are important given that typical public meeting attendees are older and white and the role of police powers in urban planning processes.

Gender Inclusivity in Law Enforcement: Impact of Gender-Responsive Policing in Region IV-A, CALABARZON

This study investigates the status of gender equality in law enforcement, gender consideration and discrimination, gender safety in transportation, and the extent of gender-responsive policing. Employing a quantitative research design, the study sourced data from 165 participants through purposive sampling, which was sanctioned by the Land Transportation Office in Region IV-A CALABARZON. Findings reveal a young to middle-aged participant profile, predominantly with higher education, suggesting a potentially elevated perspective on gender inclusivity informed by their educational experiences. High mean scores across gender inclusivity metrics indicate a positive perception of gender equality, particularly in terms of economic participation, opportunities, and law enforcement practices. However, certain areas have highlighted the need for further research, especially regarding discrimination in career advancement. This study underscores the significant role of GROs in enhancing perceptions of gender equality and safety. This emphasizes the importance of fostering a positive community reception toward gender-responsive policing initiatives contrary to the initial hypotheses. Demographic profiles, including age and training received, were not significantly correlated with perceptions of gender-responsive policing, directing attention to areas warranting further investigation.

Police perceptions of BWCs by type of law enforcement agency: procedural justice, legitimacy, lawfulness, compliance and cooperation

PurposeThis study examined whether officers’ perceptions of the effect of BWCs on procedural justice, police lawfulness, police legitimacy, compliance with police and law, and cooperation with police differed by type of law enforcement agency.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from a survey administered to 152 police officers from State Police, City Police, University Police, and Sheriff’s Office.FindingsThe multivariate analyses found that City Police officers hold significantly more positive perceptions than University Police (on police legitimacy and cooperation with police), State Police (except for police lawfulness, on all other outcomes), and Sheriffs’ Office officers (on procedural justice and police legitimacy). Additionally, Sheriffs’ Office officers hold significantly more positive perceptions than University Police (on police legitimacy, cooperation with police, and compliance with police) and State Police (on police legitimacy, cooperation with police, compliance with police and law). No significant difference was found between University Police and State Police officers.Originality/valueThis is the first study that examines whether officers’ perceptions of the outcomes differ by type of law enforcement agency.

Mediated public perceptions of police encampment clearances in Canada and France: a cross-national study

ABSTRACT This qualitative study investigates public perceptions of police encampment clearances in Canada and France. Our focus is on how YouTube users in these two countries judge police conduct in response to videos of police clearing encampments. Research on police public perceptions and police legitimacy typically focuses on public views of the police institution and perceptions stemming from direct interactions with officers. An analysis of YouTube comments on police intervention videos offers important insights into a relatively unexplored intermediate case: the mediated judgements on concrete, specific police action from individuals outside of the perceived police intervention. Further, the scholarship specifically examining social media and public perceptions of policing in cross-national contexts is almost nonexistent. To address these gaps, we ask the following: What do comments on YouTube in response to videos of police encampment clearances reveal about police legitimacy in Canada and France as perceived by social media users? A total of 8,091 user-generated comments across 25 Canadian YouTube videos and 7,086 comments across 29 French YouTube videos were collected, sorted, and examined using qualitative media analysis. Our analysis confirms that the issue of police legitimacy generates dissensus and polarisation. It demonstrates that public perceptions of the legitimacy of the police clearance are strongly tied to the legitimacy of the encampment itself, and more broadly to moral judgements about the groups targeted by the police. Our findings also reveal that French police are more often perceived as violent than their Canadian counterparts.

Determining the Influence of Extrajudicial Justice on Perception of Police among Nigerian Citizens: A Scale Development Study

Determining the Influence of Extrajudicial Justice on Perception of Police among Nigerian Citizens: A Scale Development Study

Procedural justice, neighborhood opportunities and police legitimacy

PurposeRecent scholarship calls for identifying conditions in which procedurally just treatment translate to increased police legitimacy. The present study draws on community justice and vitality and procedural justice literature to examine whether adolescent and young adults’ perceptions of legitimate work and school opportunities in their neighborhoods moderate the effects of fair treatment by police on perceptions of police legitimacy.Design/methodology/approachLongitudinal data from a justice-involved youth sample and a series of generalized linear mixed models are used to test the study’s hypotheses. We model “persons as contexts” and separate within-person and between-person effects.FindingsMain effects models indicate that procedural justice and neighborhood opportunities both have significant within-individual, between-individual and person-contextual effects on police legitimacy. Results from interaction models indicate strong support for a person-contextual interaction effect. Net of covariates, higher average perceptions of procedurally just treatment leads to greater average police legitimacy, but this effect erodes when individuals perceive weak educational and occupational opportunities in their neighborhoods over time.Originality/valueEfforts to maximize police legitimacy may be enhanced through greater investment in community opportunity structures. This study highlights the need for public officials and police to support the educational and occupational vitality of communities as a key strategy to promote police legitimacy and optimize core aspects of the procedural justice model.

Role perception and professional identity development of municipal police recruits in British Columbia

PurposeThe study aimed to address how recruits perceive their roles and develop professional identities during in-classroom and in-field training.Design/methodology/approachThis study explored the professional identity formation process by analysing asynchronous surveys with recruits from 13 municipal police departments in British Columbia, Canada. The participants were surveyed twice: after classroom-based training following Block I at the British Columbia Police Academy (BCPA) and after their departmental field training following Block II.FindingsThe analysis revealed that police recruits lacking public safety experience transformed their occupation and lifestyle. The training at the police academy helped develop recruits' muscle memory as they applied their knowledge to the situation through hands-on practice. Moreover, teamwork at the police academy and during field training allowed recruits to form their police identity. The study was conducted between 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus revealing how the recruits learnt effectively whilst facing continuous challenges and adjusting.Research limitations/implicationsThis study relied solely on the respondents' language in text-based answers; therefore, it was not possible to ask follow-up questions or seek clarification. Consequently, several inputs were excluded from the analysis. This would not have been the case if a quantitative method, where answers can be selected accurately, had been used.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates that police recruits acquire diverse competencies and skill sets through rigorous formal requirements, nuanced informal aspects and comprehensive training at the BCPA and during field training, all of which pivotal in shaping their professional identities.

"You Have to Be a Doctor First": Trauma Surgeons' Perspectives on Police Interactions in the Hospital.

Police activity in emergency medical settings has been shown to complicate the care of patients and impact patient-provider relationships. Recent scholarship has called for clear hospital policy outlining the terms of police access to patients and the role of clinicians. Despite regular contact between trauma surgeons and police, research on the impact of police activity on trauma care has been limited. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with attending trauma surgeons and general surgery residents (N = 13) at 3 urban hospitals about their interactions with police in clinical settings. Participants were recruited using snowball sampling. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for recurrent themes using an iterative grounded theory process. Participants reported routine contact with police that required active negotiation of the scope of clinical and police authority in the hospital. These negotiations were shaped by prior experiences, perceptions of police, officer behavior, and institutional culture. Surgeons felt compelled to advocate for patients, but reported intimidation in moments of conflict. Participants noted uncertainty around the legal dimensions of their relationship to police and a lack of universal guidance on appropriate responses. This data points to the need for improvements in both policy and workflow to regulate and reduce the burden of these interactions and protect clinicians' priorities from being subordinated to those of police. Further research is needed to understand how police presence impacts patient outcomes, and to guide best practices for regulating and mitigating potential negative impact.

Understanding Willingness to Cooperate With Police: Current Perceptions of Bias Matter, But So Does Hope in Future Police Procedural Justice

To solve crime, police rely on the public’s willingness to cooperate (WTC). While scholarship has focused on how people’s current perceptions of police might impact their WTC, it is likely that their views concerning the future might also matter. This study tested the hypothesis that people’s hope in future police procedural justice (HFPPJ) may impact and even overpower the association between how they currently view police and their current WTC. With two convenience samples, one of 311 adolescents and another of 578 adults, and two measurement strategies, the results indicated that, while people’s current perceptions of police are associated with their WTC, HFPPJ conditions moderate (study 1) and may even overpower (study 2) that association. Hope in the future of policing may not blind people to current biases within policing, but it appears to be associated with their willingness to cooperate with police.

Emergency psychiatric assistance: Black individuals’ perceptions of police and other factors that influence mental health service seeking.

Emergency psychiatric assistance: Black individuals’ perceptions of police and other factors that influence mental health service seeking.

Rural American farmers’ perceptions of crime, safety and policing

PurposeThe purpose is to understand how farmers in rural American communities perceive crime, safety and policing.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey, adapted from a version used in Victoria, Australia (Harkness, 2017), was modified and administered through social media and farming organizations throughout three US states. The survey covers topics relating to crime and victimization, feelings of safety or fear in rural areas, policing practices and trust in police in their areas and any crime prevention practices that respondents use.FindingsWith nearly 1,200 respondents and four scales investigated, results indicate that those respondents with more favorable views of law enforcement and the criminal justice system had the highest fear of crime, those who had been prior victims of crime had a higher fear of crime than those who did not, those with higher community involvement had higher fear of crime, and those from Nebraska compared to Colorado had higher fear of crime.Research limitations/implicationsA better understanding of the agricultural community’s perceptions of crime, safety and policing will aid law enforcement in community policing efforts and in farm crime investigation and prevention. Limitations of the study, including the distribution method will be discussed.Originality/valueFarm- and agriculture-related crimes have serious financial and emotional consequences for producers and local economies. Stereotypes about rural areas being “safe with no crime” are still prevalent. Rural American farmers’ perceptions of crime, safety and police are largely absent from the literature and are important for improving farm crime prevention.