Police-Community Relations: Pilot Project

A study of more than 60,000 police traffic stops found that college-educated officers were more likely than other officers to stop drivers for less serious violations, perform consent searches, and make arrests on discretionary grounds. These results are consistent with those of prior research indicating that college-educated officers are more achievement-oriented and eager for advancement based on the traditional performance criteria of stops, searches, and arrests. The results raise questions regarding the recommendation of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing to improve police-community relations by hiring more college-educated police officers, especially in urban communities where concerns about over-policing are widespread. If community engagement were to become a primary basis for professional advancement, however, the current results suggest that college-educated officers may adapt to the new standards as diligently as they have to the traditional criteria for reward and promotion in U.S. police departments.

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Civil Security in the Wake of Crisis—Renegotiating Police-Community Relations in Post-Crisis Development in Swat, Pakistan

Journal of Human Security ◽

10.12924/johs2021.16020134 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Ingrid L.P. Nyborg ◽

Bahadar Nawab

Keyword(s):

Community Relations ◽

Police Community Relations

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VOICES: a theory-driven intervention for improving relationships between police and the public

Policing An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management ◽

10.1108/pijpsm-09-2020-0154 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Shawn Hill ◽

Howard Giles ◽

Edward R. Maguire

Keyword(s):

Intergroup Contact ◽

Police Department ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Community Relations ◽

Causal Inferences ◽

Content Type ◽

The Public ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Police Community Relations ◽

Survey Responses

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe a theory-driven intervention called VOICES that was developed to improve police-community relations. The intervention was designed based on principles derived from social psychological theories of intergroup contact and communication.Design/methodology/approachThe authors discuss the theoretical basis for the intervention, as well as its development and implementation in the Santa Barbara Police Department. Based on this pilot testing, the authors provide preliminary evidence about its effectiveness using survey responses and qualitative feedback provided by participants.FindingsAlthough the case study method used here does not allow for causal inferences about the effectiveness of the intervention, the limited evidence the authors present does suggest that participants found VOICES useful and it may have improved their perceptions of police. The next step will be to test this intervention using experimental or quasi-experimental methods that allow for causal inferences about effectiveness.Originality/valueThe paper shows how police can develop theory-driven interventions in an effort to improve trust between police and the public, including communities in which relationships with police have been historically strained. It also underscores how insights from the study of intergroup contact and communication can benefit policing.

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Body-Worn Cameras

Global Perspectives on Reforming the Criminal Justice System ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-6884-2.ch001 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-25

Author(s):

Scott Thomas Duncan ◽

Hannah Geczi

Keyword(s):

Law Enforcement ◽

Best Practices ◽

Community Relations ◽

The Public ◽

Police Community Relations ◽

The Many

Police hold a unique and distinctive status compared to any other occupation in society with their authority to use force. With such responsibility, communities expect law enforcement to be held accountable when force is applied. One of the many proposed solutions embraced by authorities and the public to decrease the number of force encounters is body-worn cameras (BWCs). The purpose of this chapter is to examine BWCs as a measure of reducing force by law enforcement, explore the technology as an enhancement to transparency within the context of police-community relations, and offer recommendations for adoption rooted in best practices. For the public, it is imperative to recognize BWCs as just one part of improving law enforcement oversight as opposed to providing an all-encompassing solution that will completely resolve issues of transparency.

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Police–community relations and cultural competency: Important means of countering violent extremism

Terrorism, Violent Radicalisation, and Mental Health ◽

10.1093/med/9780198845706.003.0011 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 139-152

Author(s):

Myrna Lashley ◽

Ghayda Hassan ◽

Sara Thompson ◽

Michael Chartrand ◽

Serge Touzin

Keyword(s):

Cultural Competence ◽

Cultural Competency ◽

Online Survey ◽

Community Relations ◽

Cultural Variations ◽

Security Officers ◽

Violent Extremism ◽

Important Means ◽

Citizen Interactions ◽

Police Community Relations

Cultural competency may be helpful to police in fighting violent extremism. Perceived cultural competency of security officers may directly affect citizens responses, especially individuals from vulnerable communities. Police often need to depend upon citizens’ cooperation to identify those who may be engaging in activities of violent extremism. Therefore, officers must be trained in cultural competency to help reduce feelings of citizen alienation. Participants from three Canadian cities completed an online survey concerning perceptions of police cultural competence in several areas, including national security. Results were discussed with focus groups. With cultural variations, citizens were mostly satisfied with police–citizen interactions. However, some felt they were singled out because of race and religion. Participants stated better police training in cultural competence would lead to greater police–citizen cooperation. All would contact police if the security of Canada were in danger. However, there are those who will never trust police.

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