Perceptions Of Police Research Articles

Toward Data Justice: Understanding Police Shooting Data Systems and Narratives

<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><b>Background:</b></i> <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">The Washington Post</i> 's Fatal Force fatal police shooting database was first created in 2015 to fill a gap in official data collection on police use of force. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><b>Literature review:</b></i> Critical data studies scholarship suggests that data system design is rhetorical and communicates cultural values, not just numerical data. Narrative research methods, which focus on thick, rich contextual data, could help address the rhetorical and cultural dimensions of data system design. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><b>Research questions:</b></i> 1. How do data collection, aggregation, and curation practices influence data stories about crime and violence? 2. How does Fatal Force, a data system about police use of force that originated outside law enforcement, prioritize and organize information? 3. How does designing data systems with explicit, highly specific goals and aims (like the inclusion criteria and purpose of Fatal Force) influence the system as a whole? <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><b>Methodology:</b></i> Using “unblackboxing,” a combination of narrative and critical data studies methods, I analyzed the Fatal Force database and its accompanying data stories. I compare this database with its institutional counterpart in the FBI's fledgling Use of Force database. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><b>Results:</b></i> Fatal Force is constructed with particular attention to questions that users may have about police brutality, police shootings, and race. Fatal Force's data stories use narrative commonplaces like sociality and temporality to humanize the issue of police use of force and communicate greater nuance. The FBI's Use of Force database shows an orientation toward police perceptions of use-of-force incidents and a lack of attention to national conversations about police brutality. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><b>Conclusions:</b></i> Data systems show clear perspectives on the issues that they describe, which influence how users encounter the data system, how useful the system can be for various users, and how inclusive or just the data system is.

Exploring the Perceptual Effects of Uniforms and Accoutrements Among a Sample of Police Officers: The Locker Room as a Site of Transformation

Abstract The effects of officer appearance on public perceptions of police have been the subject of considerable scholarly attention. Little known research, however, has explored such effects on officers’ perceptions of each other. As part of the present research, we complement previous literature by testing the perceptual effects of uniforms and accoutrements among a sample of sworn police officers (N = 238) from the Queensland Police Service. Our results reveal that different types of attire (e.g. uniform or civilian), different styles of uniforms (e.g. light blue shirt or dark blue shirt), different accoutrements (e.g. high-visibility vest or sunglasses), and different bodily manipulations (e.g. sleeve tattoo) can impact officers’ perceptions of each other along various outcomes, including accountability, aggression, approachability, competency, friendliness, intimidation, professionalism, respectfulness, and trustworthiness. We discuss our results with respect to policing research, policy, and practice.

How the interplay between organisational ‘culture’ and ‘climate’ shapes police officers’ perceptions of community policing

How the interplay between organisational ‘culture’ and ‘climate’ shapes police officers’ perceptions of community policing

Antilocution and trust in the workplace: Perceptions of higher education trained police recruits in England and Wales

Abstract This study seeks to examine the relationship between antilocution and trust in the workplace by reflecting on the perceptions of police officers who are undertaking the new Higher Education (HE) pathway into the policing profession in England and Wales. This relationship is considered through Allport (1979). ‘The Nature of Prejudice. New York, NY: Perseus’ concept of antilocution and the lens of trust in the workplace, to understand how new police students think they are regarded by their policing colleagues and its impact on practice. Utilizing a survey of police students from five different forces in England and Wales, indicative results suggest that, whilst broadly supportive of new police officers, there may be some division regarding their education and training pathway through higher education, engendering levels of prejudice and bias towards the new recruits. Police student responses indicate that many of them feel that more is expected of them and that they are under closer supervision because they have undertaken the Higher Education route. Arguably, this prejudice and bias have an adverse effect on trust within the workplace, a concept which is front and centre of policing which ultimately can have a negative impact on public safety and security. The results of this study indicate that the interaction between new recruits (out-group) and established colleagues (in-group) is complex and not straightforward, and suggested implications for police practice are presented.

Rural decline and policing of cannabis legalisation in Washington

ABSTRACT Cannabis legalisation was viewed with great concern by law enforcement personnel. Here we show that police perceptions of the societal effects of legalisation are shaped to a considerable degree by officers’ geographic context. Urban communities tend to be relatively prosperous and hold political and social views characterised as progressive. In contrast, rural areas tend to be much less affluent, and their residents tend to share relatively conservative political and social views. Often lacking in resources, rural police agencies experience greater difficulty with the implementation of a broad new social policy such as cannabis legalisation. We investigate how the rural or urban and east/west geographic locus of a police officer tends to shape their perceptions on cannabis-related issues. Our qualitative study involved interviews conducted in 2018 and 2019 of 67 officers from 24 agencies across Washington. Officers were drawn from 11 urban, 1 rural, and 2 tribal police departments in western Washington, and 5 urban and 3 rural police departments in eastern Washington. Both common concerns and some differing perceptions were articulated by these officers from urban and rural agencies. The common circumstance of rural decline is present in Washington as elsewhere in the US; the findings reported here suggest that marijuana legalisation outcomes will likely entail greater challenges of adaptive implementation in rural areas experiencing decline than in urban centres in those states currently reforming their marijuana laws.

Measuring youths’ perceptions of police: Evidence from the crossroads study.

Measuring youths’ perceptions of police: Evidence from the crossroads study.

Examining Predictors of Latinx Adults’ Attitudes Toward Different Forms of US National Anthem Protests Against Police Brutality and Racial Injustice

The most recent national anthem protests, which were initiated by Colin Kaepernick in 2016, have elicited a variety of reactions from people and deeply split public opinion. Previous research regarding the perceptions of these protests has identified race as a significant factor. In this study, I take a fresh look at the role of race by examining attitudes toward the national anthem protests among Latinx American young adults. Additionally, the study also examines the impact of perceptions of police, perceptions of injustice, and political engagement on Latinx perceptions of the national anthem protests. The results of the study surprisingly and interestingly show that race did not play a significant role in shaping attitudes toward the protests. However, perceptions of police, perceptions of injustice, and political engagement were all significantly related to attitudes toward various forms of national anthem protests. The meaning, the significance, and the implications of these results are discussed.

Prostitute or human trafficking victim? Police discernment of human trafficking

PurposeIn 2018, the National Human Trafficking hotline received 275 cases of human trafficking in Pennsylvania, a higher than average portion of the 10,949 human trafficking cases received for the USA. Whether human trafficking victims receive services or enter the criminal justice system as prostitution offenders depends on how police identify them, as police officers are usually the first to interact with human trafficking victims. Thus, understanding how police identify human trafficking is important. The purpose of the study is to explore Pennsylvania police perceptions of human trafficking.Design/methodology/approachScenarios were presented in a survey to 489 Pennsylvania police officers.FindingsPolice training improved officer identification of human trafficking (vs prostitution) involving older victims. Officers with more tenure were less likely to identify older victims of human trafficking than officers with less tenure. However, older officers were better able to successfully identify older (i.e. age 25 years) victims of human trafficking, but officer age had no effect on identifying younger (i.e. age 15 years) victims of human trafficking. The implications are discussed in the study.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the literature by testing (1) whether training affects police ability to identify human trafficking victims in a scenario, controlling for other factors and (2) whether victim age affects officer identification of human trafficking victims. More officers correctly identified younger victims of human trafficking when force was explicitly stated, but more officers misidentified younger victims when force was not explicitly stated and older victims when force was explicitly stated.

Homework completion program in Atlantic County, NJ: The first five years

This research examined the Homework Completion Program in Atlantic County, NJ, where college students and police officers tutored children with homework. Children ( N = 154) reported their impression of police officers and perception of the program. Across 5 years and three program sites, children chose completing homework as the best part about the program and they mostly reported feeling happy when seeing a police officer and finding police officers if they needed help. In summary, the program has shown promise in achieving the goals of preparing children for a college education and building trust between children and police officers.

Abstracts Presented at the 2nd Annual Advancing Healthcare Innovation Summit: Nov 11, 2022, Cincinnati, OH

Abstracts Presented at the 2nd Annual Advancing Healthcare Innovation Summit: Nov 11, 2022, Cincinnati, OH

Quality of work life, emotional and physical well-being of police personnel in India

The job profile of police officers places exceptional demands on them leading to risks to life, personal discomfort and stress. This article aims to examine how the physical and emotional well-being of police personnel is affected by their perceived quality of work life (QWL). The study looked at the questionnaire responses of 234 police personnel. Emotional well-being is measured as the absence of depression, emotional hyperactivity, difficulty relaxing, irritability and anxiety, whereas physical well-being is measured as the presence of diabetes, thyroid problems, insomnia and obesity. The study assessed police perceptions of QWL as provided by the government. The study findings are segregated for QWL on the basis of dominant ill-being and dominant well-being. Factors such as career and development, working environment, safety, work load, compensation and fear of punishment should be carefully analysed and improved. Some 71.8% of the respondents suffered from two or more emotional ailments; 70% suffered from two or more physical ailments. Findings suggest that QWL dimensions that fall within dominant ill-being need to be addressed immediately by policy makers and management to improve police well-being.

“Lights and Sirens”: Variation in 911 Call‐Taker Risk Appraisal and its Effects on Police Officer Perceptions at the Scene

AbstractUntil now, 911 dispatch centers largely have been the “black box” of the criminal justice system. This article opens that black box. It documents systematically a new mechanism in the policing process: the degree to which a 911 call‐taker's “alarmist” response to a call primes police officer perceptions at the scene. This study leverages the quasi‐random assignment of 911 call‐takers to calls and employs an instrumental variable approach novel to dispatch. The author focuses her analysis on call‐for‐service data (N = 20,764) involving mental health crises and public assaults—strategic sites for the investigation of call‐taker discretion—from a dispatch center in Southeast Michigan and finds a statistically significant difference in the propensity of call‐takers to classify the same types of calls as “high priority.” This variation, in turn, affects police perceptions. Calls for which call‐taker assignment induces a high priority classification are about three times more likely to be classified as high priority by the police at the scene, relative to the mean of the dependent variable. Effects are strongest for calls involving mental health crises. The theoretical developments and empirical results presented here point to new areas for policy reform for policymakers and practitioners regarding the importance of training 911 call‐takers in call triage and diversion.

Police-related social media exposure and adolescents’ interest in becoming a police officer

ABSTRACT Police departments are becoming increasingly homogenous as they struggle to recruit demographically diverse officers with desirable characteristics. Youths’ exposure to police brutality on social media may decrease their perceptions of police and interest in policing careers. Despite adolescents being the future pool of police applicants, social media’s relation to adolescents’ perceptions of police is understudied. Utilizing a stratified sampling approach to approximate representation of the U.S., this study analyzed how youths’ exposure to police content on social media was related to trust in the police and interest in police careers. The findings indicated that the more youth were exposed to negative social media on policing, the poorer they viewed police legitimacy, and the less they were willing to enter policing. Police legitimacy partially mediated the relation between adolescents’ exposure to social media content about police and their interest in policing careers. Implications for research, policy, and police behavior are discussed.

How the interplay between organisational ‘culture’ and ‘climate’ shapes police officers’ perceptions of community policing

This article draws on interview data and the concepts of organisational ‘culture’ and ‘climate’ to critically assess police officers’ perceptions of community policing in one English constabulary. In so doing, it considers the cultural, organisational and wider contextual determinants of officers’ alignment to this style of police work. With an emphasis on developing community partnerships and engaging in problem-solving, rather than enforcement of the criminal law, community policing has been seen a primary way of rendering officers more ‘responsive’ to the needs of citizens, improving police–community relations and driving down crime rates. An important reform movement in police organisations around the world, the success of community policing nonetheless depends on officers’ willingness and ability to deliver it. Accordingly, the generation of evidence about the ‘drivers’ of officers’ attitudes to inform strategies to promote the delivery of the approach is essential. Findings suggest that officers value community policing as an organisational strategy but that the approach maintains a low status and is undervalued compared with other specialisms within the organisation. This is born of an organisational culture that foregrounds law enforcement as the primary function of police work and an organisational climate that reinforces it. This has implications for community officers in terms of their perceptions of and attitudes towards the approach, self-esteem and sense of value and worth, perceptions of organisational justice, discretionary effort and role commitment. Recommendations for police managers are set out.

Patriotism and perceptions of police: Examining the racial divide between Black and White Americans.

Patriotism and perceptions of police: Examining the racial divide between Black and White Americans.

White civilians\u2019 implicit danger evaluation of police officers underlies explicit perception of police

The role of implicit processes during police-civilian encounters is well studied from the perspective of the police. Decades of research on the “shooter bias” suggests that implicit Black-danger associations potentiate the perception of threat of Black individuals, leading to a racial bias in the decision to use lethal force. Left understudied are civilians’ possible associations of police with danger and how such associations pervade behavior and explicit views of the police. The current work begins to address this gap. In two within-subjects studies, we separately assess police-threat (i.e., safety/danger) and police-valence (i.e., good/bad) associations as well as their relative influences on explicit perceptions of police. Study 1 revealed that implicit threat evaluations (police-danger associations) more strongly predicted negative explicit views of the police compared to implicit valence evaluations (police-negative associations). Study 2 replicated these findings and suggests that individuals evaluate the police as more dangerous versus negative when each response is pitted against each other within single misattribution procedure trials. The possible implications for explicit attitudes toward police reform and behavior during police-civilian encounters are discussed.

Problem-oriented policing in England and Wales: barriers and facilitators

ABSTRACT Evidence shows that the application of problem-oriented policing can be effective in reducing a wide range of crime and public safety issues, but that the approach is challenging to implement and sustain. This article examines police perceptions and experiences regarding organisational barriers to and facilitators of the implementation and delivery of problem-oriented policing. Drawing on surveys of (n = 4141) and interviews with (n = 86) police personnel from 19 police forces in England and Wales, we identify five key barriers and facilitators to problem-oriented policing: leadership and governance, capacity, organisational structures and infrastructure, partnership working and organisational culture. These factors provide important indicators for what police organisations need to do, or need to avoid, if they are to successfully embed and deliver problem-oriented policing. The article generates critical information about the processes that drive change in police organisations and offers recommendations for police managers who may wish to implement or develop problem-oriented policing. The paper also proposes a research agenda aimed at addressing evidence gaps in our understanding of the implementation and sustenance of problem-oriented policing.

How Riots Spread Between Cities: Introducing the Police Pathway

Waves of riots are politically and psychologically significant national events. The role of police perceptions and practices in spreading unrest between cities has been neglected in previous research, even though the police are significant actors in these events. We examined the role of police interventions in the spread of rioting to one English city in August 2011 by triangulating multiple data sources and analyzing police accounts and community‐participant interviews. Rioting in other cities had relatively little direct influence in the community, but it led to heightened vigilance in the police. The resultant police mobilization inadvertently created a large gathering in a local community with a history of hostile relations with police. Police attempts to disperse the crowd affected many more people than those originally intending to riot, leading to collective conflict. These findings support a new theoretical account of the role of policing in riot spread. Complementing existing accounts of diffusion, our study helps explain how self‐fulfilling prophecy can operate to spread conflict between cities.

Cops and COVID: an examination of California officers' perceptions and experiences while policing during a pandemic

PurposeUsing online survey data from a sample of 440 police officers in California throughout May 2020, the current study collected time-sensitive information on officers' perceptions and departmental experiences in the wake of the pandemic. It examined officers' perceptions of agency responsivity as well as their perceptions of morale, stress and risk following agency responses and changes in policy patterns, service delivery innovations and other administrative challenges.Design/methodology/approachCOVID-19 had a tremendous impact on the law enforcement community, who continued to work and adapt in order to provide public safety. During the first few months of the pandemic, a number of national data collection efforts set out to understand what police agencies, at the organizational-level, were doing to address the crisis. Largely missing from these initial discussions were the perspectives of individual officers, particularly how they felt about their respective departments ensuring safety and balancing risk.FindingsResults from ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions found that the number of departmental changes made in the wake of COVID-19 that reduced police–public contact was associated with (1) increased levels of perceived agency responsivity to officer needs (i.e. balancing officer safety, taking active steps to maintain officers' mental health) and (2) reduced levels of perceived negative outlook (e.g. stress, low morale, danger/risk). Policy implications and the importance of police executives' decisions during crisis are discussed.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first, to the authors’ knowledge, to examine perceptions of policing during the pandemic from an individual officer point of view rather than an organizational standpoint.

Police perceptions of eyewitness impairment due to alcohol and other drug use: a cross-cultural comparison

ABSTRACT Victims, witnesses, and suspects of crime are frequently intoxicated by Alcohol or Other Drugs (AOD) during the event. How intoxication is perceived by investigating officers, and the manner in which this is handled during interview procedures, can affect the quality of information obtained and therefore investigative outcomes. Various factors are likely to contribute to how intoxication is handled during the investigation of a crime, including standard procedures, familiarity with the effects of different substances, and cultural attitudes. While findings with respect to the effect of different substances on memory are still emerging, it is important to investigate whether police beliefs are consistent with available evidence. In this study, Australian and Indonesian police officers were surveyed about their perceptions of memory accuracy and credibility of victims and witnesses intoxicated with various substances (e.g. alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, and opioids). A higher proportion of Australian police identified larger negative memory effects associated with alcohol intoxication. At the same time, Indonesian police were found to be more likely to report that intoxication with alcohol would make a victim or witness less credible. With regard to timing, across multiple substances, larger proportions of Australian police reported believing that information obtained from witnesses that were still intoxicated would be more accurate than if interviewed after they became sober. It is concluded that, in order to rectify misconceptions about the impact of AOD intoxication on memory and improve investigative practices, both Australian and Indonesian police would benefit from additional training on the effects of intoxication.