Changing youth attitudes toward the police through community policing programming

Existing literature examining youth-police relations has consistently found that willingness to engage with the police is directly influenced by youth attitudes toward the police. Research findings suggest that increasing positive attitudes toward the police among adolescent populations will result in a subsequent increase in behaviours supportive of the police and law enforcement. The current study was a mixed-method evaluation (including survey data and qualitative interviews) of a community policing pilot program designed to increase positive contact between at-risk youth and police officers. The program was effective in positively changing youth attitudes toward the police. Interview results provide evidence of a direct mechanism for increasing trust and cooperation with the police. Survey results indicate that positive contact with the police can shift general attitudes toward the police and reduce perceptions of police discrimination. Further, survey findings support the program as a remedial intervention for youth with previous negative police contact.

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"I realized that cops are just regular people" : changing youth attitudes toward the police through community policing programming.

10.32920/ryerson.14648853 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Elisabeth J. Leroux

Keyword(s):

Police Officers ◽

Community Policing ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

At Risk Youth ◽

Subsequent Increase ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Remedial Intervention ◽

Positive Contact ◽

Youth Attitudes ◽

Attitudes Toward The Police

Existing literature examining youth-police relations has consistently found that willingness to engage with the police is directly influenced by youth attitudes toward the police. Research findings suggest that increasing positive attitudes toward the police among adolescent populations will result in a subsequent increase in behaviours supportive of the police and law enforcement. The current study was a mixed-method evaluation (including survey data and qualitative interviews) of a community policing pilot program designed to increase positive contact between at-risk youth and police officers. The program was effective in positively changing youth attitudes toward the police. Interview results provide evidence of a direct mechanism for increasing trust and cooperation with the police. Survey results indicate that positive contact with the police can shift general attitudes toward the police and reduce perceptions of police discrimination. Further, survey findings support the program as a remedial intervention for youth with previous negative police contact.

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Race and attitudes toward police: the mediating effect of social distance

Policing An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management ◽

10.1108/pijpsm-03-2015-0034 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 38 (2) ◽

pp. 314-332 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Joongyeup Lee ◽

Jennifer C. Gibbs

Keyword(s):

Community Policing ◽

Social Distance ◽

Online Survey ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Consistent Finding ◽

Content Type ◽

The Public ◽

The Social ◽

Attitudes Toward The Police

Purpose – Given the consistent finding in the literature that members of minority groups hold less favorable views of the police than white citizens, social distance may be an important, yet untested, mediator. The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of social distance net of other established correlates. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of students attending a university in the northeastern USA completed an online survey in 2013. The survey was about their contact with the police, attitudes toward the police, and lifestyles, among others. Findings – Race, along with other predictors, significantly influenced confidence in police. However, race is the only factor that turns nonsignificant when social distance is included in the model. Mediation tests confirmed that social distance mediates the relationship between race and confidence in the police. Research limitations/implications – To maximize confidence in the police, administrators should focus on closing the social distance between the public and the police through initiatives like community policing. Originality/value – While there is extensive research on public attitudes toward the police, social distance has been neglected as a determinant, despite movements like community policing that promote citizens’ relational closeness to the police – that is, to decrease the social distance between police and the public. The current study would be an exploratory study and reference for future studies.

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