Police Misconduct Research Articles

‘We Don’t Have Any Honor Because We Are khwaja sira’: Police Violence and Discrimination Against the Khwaja Sira Community in Swat, Pakistan

Abstract This qualitative study examines police violence and discriminatory policing practices targeting the third gender community, known in Pakistan as khwaja sira. Employing a phenomenological analysis, we conducted a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 45 khwaja sira in Mingora, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the interview transcripts: two distinct themes emerged regarding the lived experiences of khwaja sira in Swat, Pakistan: experiencing multiple forms of violence by police; and managing abuses of policing power. Findings shed light on the challenges khwaja sira face regarding police violence and misconduct, including neglect from law enforcement officers to register their cases, biased practices within police precincts, and discrimination associated with their engagement in sex work or their gender nonconformity. Findings underscore the need for comprehensive interventions aimed at addressing police violence experienced by the khwaja sira community.

Racial attitudes and perceptions of police misconduct: The case for racial empathy

Racial attitudes and perceptions of police misconduct: The case for racial empathy

Are Personality Traits Predictors of Police Misconduct?

AbstractSeveral forms of police misconduct exist, including the inappropriate use of a weapon, sexual misconduct, and racially offensive behaviors, and deserve more attention in the literature. More recent literature suggests that there may be personality predictors of misconduct. Specifically, aggression, having unstable relationships, a lack of empathy, thrill-seeking behavior, and poor impulse control, may contribute to officer misconduct. The current study examined a group of 642 first-year police officers through a series of mostly logistic regression analyses to determine if antisocial or borderline personality traits predict inappropriate use of a weapon, sexual misconduct, and racially offensive behavior using scales from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Second Edition (MMPI-2; the antisocial practices and the psychopathic deviance scales) and the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; the borderline and antisocial scales). Most of the hypotheses were not supported by the findings. Participants who had more antisocial traits, as assessed by MMPI-2, were less likely to be accused of racially offensive behavior. Officers who had more borderline characteristics, as assessed by the MMPI-2, were less likely to be accused of engagement in any misconduct, specifically sexual misconduct. However, participants who had more borderline traits, as assessed by the PAI, were more likely to engage in sexual misconduct, but less likely to engage in any misconduct overall. Demographic covariates also were found to be related to all three forms of misconduct.

Women police leaders: attitudes about policing and experiences in the occupation

PurposeThis study explored women police leaders’ (n = 503) attitudes and experiences relative to men police leaders (n = 3,359) and women police officers (n = 1,153) with no supervisory responsibilities.Design/methodology/approachSelf-reported survey data were collected from 5,015 officers in 85 United States law enforcement agencies.FindingsCompared with men police leaders, women police leaders were more likely to identify inequalities in the workplace, empower community members’ voices in defining legitimate forms of policing, elevate the importance of police misconduct and reject a tough physical approach. Women police leaders were also more likely than male police leaders to think that effective leadership influences the behavior of subordinates and more likely to feel that the rules leave room for interpretation. Black women police leaders reported different attitudes and experiences than White women police leaders, including recognizing greater inequalities, prioritizing increased law enforcement activities and experiencing less occupational burnout. Except for the seriousness of misconduct, there were no differences between women police leaders and women police officers without supervisory responsibilities.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the ongoing conversation about women in policing and how increasing the number of women in leadership roles affects law enforcement agencies and the public’s experiences with policing. As policing continues to face calls for reform and employment challenges, increasing the number of women in leadership plays a vital role in producing law enforcement agencies that are equitable and efficacious.

Drug market risk environment and navigational strategies of street-level dealers in Nigeria

Background Researchers have investigated drug market risks and navigational strategies of drug dealers in western societies. Less is known about this phenomenon in Africa. This study explores drug market risk environment and navigational strategies of street drug dealers in Nigeria. Methods The study uses qualitative data from in-depth interviews with street-level dealers (n = 31) recruited through snowball sampling in Uyo, Nigeria. Thematic analysis of transcripts generated three major themes (‘policing,’ ‘rivalry’ and ‘indiscretion’) as risk factors for police harassment, arrest and violence. Results Accounts identified policing, rivalry between drug dealers and indiscretion (e.g., exchanging drugs for potentially stolen items) as risk factors for police harassments, arrest and violence. Drug dealers navigate risks in different ways, including through bribing police officers, using police proxies in partisan negotiation of drug market conflicts, and non-exchange of drugs for potentially stolen items. Conclusion The findings underscore an ecological view of drug market risks where factors operating at different levels interact to shape risks, with policing featuring as an overarching macro-level risk factor. The failure of law enforcement to absolutely deter drug selling due to dealer’s navigational strategies such as informal privatization of police, indicates a need for alternative approaches to controlling street-level drug markets.

Policing and citizen trust in Kenya: How community policing shapes local trust-building and collaboration

Abstract In contexts of high insecurity and mistrust in the police, how and why do local residents still choose to collaborate with the police, and what is the role of community policing in such considerations? Research on policing in Africa has emphasized the structural and macropolitical barriers to effective police reform, including institutionalized cultures of impunity and corruption. Less attention, however, has been paid to the contextual and relational dynamics that shape police-community collaboration. We argue that a relational perspective, which centres local residents’ interactions with police and community policing structures, provides novel insights into the challenges of policing reforms. This perspective also demonstrates how contingent and incremental trust can be built in very challenging circumstances. We study these dynamics in Karagita and Kaptembwo, two low-income urban settlements in Nakuru County, Kenya, that have experienced violent crime and repeated electoral violence. Despite considerable challenges of crime, police misconduct, and political interference in these settlements, our findings point to how positive everyday interaction and community policing structures can contribute to incremental improvements in police-community relationships. In contrast to existing work on African policing that primarily highlights the challenges of police reform, this study offers insights into when reform has the potential to be effective.

Anger, fear, and frozenness: Exploring the emotive aspect of anti-police sentiment

Anti-police sentiment has emerged as a growing phenomenon in recent years, characterised by intense negative attitudes towards police. Despite increasing scholarly interest, the lack of a clear definition of anti-police sentiment hinders conceptualisation, measurement, and comparison of findings across jurisdictions. This study aims to provide conceptual clarity by employing sentiment analysis to systematically and objectively explore the emotions underlying anti-police sentiment. Analysis of the negative discourse across 1140 comments on Reddit about police, found that anti-police sentiment is associated with the emotions anger, fear, and frozenness, and potentially may trigger fight, flight, freeze responses in citizens encountering the police. Further, analysis of frequent terms highlights key social issues driving anti-police sentiment, such as police responses to domestic violence and police misconduct. The study contributes to the understanding of anti-police sentiment by identifying the underlying emotions and their potential behavioural outcomes, providing a foundation for future research and policy interventions.

The effect of police reform on overall police misconduct and misconduct that involves the use of force

PurposeThis study investigates whether the Police Reform Bill significantly reduced overall incidents of police misconduct, including those involving the use of force, in Massachusetts. MethodsThe current study employed a monthly interrupted time series (ITS) design using data on overall incidents of police misconduct and incidents involving the use of force, collected from the 438 law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts. The Police Reform Bill was introduced in December 2020. The monthly data covers the period from January 1989 through December, 2023 (N = 420), with January 1989 through December 2021 serving as the period before the implementation of the Police Reform Bill (N = 384) and January 2022 through December, 2023 as the period following the implementation of the Police Reform Bill (N = 36). ResultsThe results of the monthly interrupted time series analyses showed that, compared to before the implementation of the Police Reform Bill, the trend in the overall number of police misconduct incidents and the number of misconduct incidents involving the use of force significantly declined after the implementation of the Police Reform Bill. ConclusionsThe findings suggest that the Police Reform Bill is effective in reducing police misconduct and misconduct incidents involving the use of force.

Police Misconduct Investigation Processes: Police Officer Perceptions of Fundamental Fairness

Police misconduct has historically garnered much research attention. Internal affairs (IA) processes exist within police departments to investigate such cases of misconduct. Yet, sworn officers may distrust IA processes, potentially hampering its effectiveness and its amenability for reform. The purpose of this study was to examine police officers’ perceptions of the IA process in its current state and their amenability to various types of IA reforms (e.g., civilian oversight committees, independent investigators). We collected survey data from a sample of 115 police officers from various police departments in New Jersey, USA. The results indicated that police officers vary in their perceptions of IA processes, such as the fairness of IA processes, their amenability to reforming IA systems, and what reforms were perceivably appropriate. Findings also indicated greater amenability for revisions to the current IA process, primarily among lower-ranking police officers and Black officers. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Police coercive actions and citizen complaints: a comparison of NYPD precincts

PurposeThis study explores the influence of police coercive actions during Stop, Question, and Frisk (SQF) encounters on citizen complaints of police misconduct in 76 precincts in New York City.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from NYPD's SQF reports, Citizen Complaint Review Board, and demographic measures, the analysis focuses on specific coercive actions (frisk, search, summons, physical force, and arrest) and their association with citizen complaints (excessive force, abuse of authority, discourtesy, and offensive language).FindingsBivariate and multivariate analyses revealed frequent lower-level coercive actions, such as frisks and summons, are linked to increased citizen complaints. Surprisingly, higher levels of coercive actions involving force and arrests do not substantially impact complaints, challenging conventional assumptions.Practical implicationsThe research underscores the importance of transparency, accountability, and positive police-community relations. Addressing precinct-specific characteristics influencing the relationship between coercive actions and citizen complaints is crucial for fostering a more constructive and accountable policing approach in New York City precincts.Originality/valueThis study challenges assumptions by providing a distinctive perspective on the impact of police coercive actions during SQF encounters on citizen complaints. The unexpected finding that higher levels of coercive actions, typically involving force and arrests, do not substantially impact complaints contributes to the discourse on police-community interactions, offering a nuanced understanding of the relationship between specific coercive actions and citizen complaints.

Police Misconduct and the Social Connectedness Between the Police and Small Business Communities

Police Misconduct and the Social Connectedness Between the Police and Small Business Communities

Assessing the role of COVID-19 stressors on perceptions of police misconduct in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Assessing the role of COVID-19 stressors on perceptions of police misconduct in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Impact of Training Practices on Police Misconduct in Pampanga Police Provincial Office

Impact of Training Practices on Police Misconduct in Pampanga Police Provincial Office

The Role of Leadership Training in Developing Effective Police Supervisors

The purpose of the article was to examine how well police supervisors are equipped to lead their teams effectively and morally by means of leadership training programs. The disparity between the abilities needed for efficient supervision and those needed for police officers was the main topic of discussion. The fundamental abilities that police supervisors must possess are teamwork, communication, decision-making, and conflict resolution. The effectiveness of leadership development programs in providing supervisors with these competencies. The possible advantages of efficient leadership development, such as higher officer safety, decreased misbehavior, and better public reputation. The Main Points/Determinations: Officers may not be sufficiently prepared for the intricacies of supervisory responsibilities by traditional police training. Supervisors who participate in excellent leadership development programs can acquire the skills needed to effectively lead their teams. Gaining these abilities can result in better decision-making, more communication, and a happier workplace. Good leadership development programs may help reduce police misconduct and provide a safer atmosphere for both the public and cops. Reviewing previous studies on the effects of police leadership training was the methodology/approach. Examine the fundamental abilities deemed necessary for police supervisors. Examine how these abilities are addressed in leadership training programs through curriculum analysis or participant/developer interviews. Examine any connections that might exist between good leadership development and outcomes that are favorable to the public or less wrongdoing (this could include data analysis or case studies). The study's significance and implications were that it made clear how crucial it is to fund thoughtfully crafted leadership development initiatives for police supervisors. Police agencies may cultivate a more professional, ethical, and community-focused force by providing supervisors with the required training. Good leadership development programs can increase public confidence, lower misbehavior, and make everyone's surroundings safer. The leaders of the police department (chiefs, training officers) were in attendance. Government officers and policymakers. scholars and researchers in criminal justice. Neighborhood groups that support police reform. This training prepares police officers for supervisory roles by equipping them with the skills necessary to lead effectively. Through communication, decision-making, and conflict resolution training, supervisors become better equipped to handle challenging situations. The program also fosters team building by teaching motivation, delegation, and trust- building techniques. Ultimately, effective leadership training enhances public perception of the police, reduces misconduct, and improves officer safety.

A scoping review of policing and coercive control in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer plus intimate relationships

AbstractCoercive control is a form of intimate partner violence (IPV) that encompasses non‐physical behaviors used to constrain and entrap a partner. Coercive control is especially relevant to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer plus (LGBTQ+) relationships when abusers target the gender and sexual identity of their partners. Victim‐survivors, community members, and service providers often struggle to identify and intervene with this form of abuse. The role of police responding to coercive control is poorly understood, despite laws and calls to criminalize coercive control. Police responses to physical abuse in LGBTQ + relationships have caused harm, and it is important to extend this knowledge to police responses to coercive control. We conducted a systematic scoping review of international academic and gray literature sources published from 2014 through 2022 on the topic of policing coercive control within LGBTQ+ intimate relationships. We identified four interrelated policing themes across 35 sources: (1) reluctance to seek help from the police, (2) low rates of reporting abuse to police, (3) police actions following reports of IPV and coercive control, and (4) police harassment and violence increasing the experience of coercive control. Our review confirms that more research is needed on LGBTQ+ survivors of coercive control and their help‐seeking, as laws and calls to criminalize coercive control may not benefit LGBTQ+ communities.

Urban youth of color’s sociopolitical development in the context of police misconduct

Urban youth of color’s sociopolitical development in the context of police misconduct

Neighborhood Safety and Neighborhood Police Violence Are Associated with Psychological Distress among English- and Spanish-Speaking Transgender Women of Color in New York City: Finding from the TURNNT Cohort Study.

Transgender women of color (TWOC) experience high rates of police violence and victimization compared to other sexual and gender minority groups, as well as compared to other White transgender and cisgender women. While past studies have demonstrated how frequent police harassment is associated with higher psychological distress, the effect of neighborhood safety and neighborhood police violence on TWOC's mental health is rarely studied. In this study, we examine the association between neighborhood safety and neighborhood police violence with psychological distress among TWOC. Baseline self-reported data are from the TURNNT ("Trying to Understand Relationships, Networks and Neighborhoods among Transgender Woman of Color") Cohort Study (analytic n = 303). Recruitment for the study began September 2020 and ended November 2022. Eligibility criteria included being a TWOC, age 18-55, English- or Spanish-speaking, and planning to reside in the New York City metropolitan area for at least 1year. In multivariable analyses, neighborhood safety and neighborhood police violence were associated with psychological distress. For example, individuals who reported medium levels of neighborhood police violence had 1.15 [1.03, 1.28] times the odds of experiencing psychological distress compared to those who experienced low levels of neighborhood police violence. Our data suggest that neighborhood safety and neighborhood police violence were associated with increased psychological distress among TWOC. Policies and programs to address neighborhood police violence (such as body cameras and legal consequences for abusive officers) may improve mental health among TWOC.

Recognizing “camera cues”: policing, cellphones and citizen countersurveillance

AbstractOver the past decade, recording technologies have enabled organized activists and ordinary residents to capture and circulate videos of police misconduct. Existing research focuses primarily, however, on organized activists who rely on formal training programs to record police behaviors. If formal programs train organized activists to capture police abuses on camera, how then do ordinary residents determine when they should record police behavior? Drawing on in-depth interviews with Black men who live in a Southside Chicago neighborhood, this study finds that residents’ recurrent interactions with police enable them to interpret officers’ words and actions as symbols of police misconduct, which, in subsequent exchanges, serve as signals to record events with their cellphones – what I term “camera cues.” Camera cues facilitate situated conceptions of legal authority that trigger residents’ distrust of police, reflecting the micro-dynamic connections between individuals’ legal consciousness and legal cynicism. Equipped with cellphones, residents scrutinize officers’ outward displays and police–citizen interactions to challenge police misconduct. While recording police behavior makes it possible at least occasionally to resist the dominance of legal authority, doing so often involves additional risks, including the destruction of their cellphones, verbal and physical threats, and arrests.

How Does the Public Explain Police Misconduct? Race, Politics, and Attributions

Why have public reactions to police misconduct been so polarized, and why have opposing social movements emerged in response? This study explores attributions of police misconduct, using a myriad of possible attributions and a population-matched national sample ( N = 700), to extend our understanding of the perceived causes of police misconduct and who holds which attributions, focusing on race, racial attitudes, and political ideology. We find that attributions could be divided into (a) multifaceted attributions—the belief that misconduct has multiple causes; and (b) excusatory attributions—the belief that misconduct is caused by factors external to police officers and agencies. Endorsement of these attributions stems from racial and political attitudes, with mediation analyses finding that race plays an indirect role in endorsing attributions of police misconduct. As such, efforts to address police misconduct face not only a political power struggle but also a racially attitudinal one.

The Wrongful Arrest Theory: Justice For Individuals With Diabetes In Criminal Law Procedure

This paper discusses the vulnerability of diabetic individuals when they are subjected to arrest procedures in criminal law. It analyzes the wrongful arrest theory as a device for individuals with disabilities to bring claims against law enforcement when their rights under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are violated. Individuals with diabetes constitute more than 10% of the United States population, meaning that many individuals are at risk for police misconduct because of their disability. The symptoms that come about with having diabetes, such as fruity-smelling breath and loss of coordination, can be mistaken for illegal activity leading to a wrongful arrest. No case involving ADA Title II violation claims against law enforcement relying on the wrongful arrest theory has been brought by an individual with diabetes. This paper explores the possibility of its potential success. To accomplish this, this paper first defines disability under the law, including diabetes. It then conducts a thorough analysis of the wrongful arrest theory in various case studies consisting of non-diabetic and diabetic plaintiffs. In a final case study, I apply the wrongful arrest theory to a case hypothetically to illustrate the plaintiff's potential success if he claims a wrongful arrest. Lastly, I explore some of the theory’s limitations and propose a potential solution. I hope that my findings will emphasize the lack of discourse surrounding individuals with diabetes in disability law and encourage further research and education on the wrongful arrest theory as a successful claim against Title II violations committed by law enforcement.