Do the Police Believe That Legitimacy Promotes Cooperation From the Public?

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 951-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Nix
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Legitimate Authority ◽  
The Public ◽  
Police Executives ◽  
Stratified Sample ◽  
Perceptions Of Police ◽  
Using Data

Tyler’s process-based model of regulation suggests that when citizens perceive the police as a legitimate authority, they are more likely to cooperate in the form of reporting crimes and providing information to the police. Yet most studies have considered citizens’ perceptions of police legitimacy—few studies have asked the police what they feel makes them legitimate in the eyes of the public. Likewise, no studies have considered whether the police believe legitimacy is associated with cooperation from the public. The present study addresses this gap using data from a stratified sample of U.S. police executives. Findings suggest police believe performance, rather than procedural justice, is the key to generating cooperation from the public.

Moral motives, police legitimacy and acceptance of force

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 799-815
Author(s):  
Jasmine R. Silver
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Legitimacy Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Perceptions Of Police ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Moral Motive

PurposeThis study extends legitimacy theory by examining individualizing and binding moral motives and perceptions of police.Design/methodology/approachData are drawn from an online survey of the public (N = 961). OLS regression is used to predict global perceptions of legitimacy, as well as department legitimacy and acceptance of force in an experimental vignette that manipulates procedural justice.FindingsThe binding moral motive is associated with greater global and department legitimacy and acceptance of force. The individualizing moral motive is associated with reduced global legitimacy and acceptance of force, and with department legitimacy when procedural justice is low. Perceptions of legitimacy mediate the effects of the binding moral motive on acceptance of force and of the individualizing moral motive when procedural justice is low.Research limitations/implicationsThis study identifies novel antecedents of police legitimacy and acceptance of force (i.e. binding and individualizing moral motives).Social implicationsThis study provides insight into public attitudes regarding use of force.Originality/valueThis study is the first to propose and test a link between binding and individualizing moral motives and perceptions of police.

How Do the Components of Procedural Justice and Driver Race Influence Encounter-Specific Perceptions of Police Legitimacy During Traffic Stops?

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1200-1216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Starr J. Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Treatment Quality ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
The Public ◽  
Perceptions Of Police ◽  
Influence Perceptions

Procedural justice is often recognized as the key antecedent of police legitimacy. However, less is known about how the components of procedural justice, treatment and decision-making quality, influence perceptions of police legitimacy. This study utilizes a 2 × 2 × 2 survey experiment to explore the direct effects of the components of procedural justice, and the moderating effects of driver race, on perceptions of encounter-specific fairness and legitimacy. Results indicate that treatment quality is a more salient predictor of encounter-specific fairness and legitimacy than decision-making quality. In addition, simple effects analyses reveal that driver race moderates perceptions of encounter-specific fairness but not encounter-specific perceptions of legitimacy. The findings imply that police officers should emphasize respectful treatment during encounters with the public.

In Guns We Trust: A Reexamination of the Collective Security Hypothesis

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (12) ◽  
pp. 1936-1954 ◽  
Author(s):  
James D. Kelsay ◽  
Jordan Papp ◽  
Jennifer Wareham ◽  
Brad W. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Social Control ◽  
Fear Of Crime ◽  
Informal Social Control ◽  
Collective Security ◽  
Gun Ownership ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Public ◽  
Security Hypothesis ◽  
Perceptions Of Police ◽  
Using Data

This study reexamines the collective security hypothesis of gun ownership using data collected from residents of the city of Detroit, Michigan. In addition, we seek to determine whether the effects of perceptions of police, fear of crime, and victimization on individual-level gun ownership are attenuated by neighborhood levels of informal social control. Our findings indicate that police satisfaction remains a robust predictor of gun ownership, in that those who are less satisfied with police are more likely to own a firearm for defensive purposes. Moreover, the effects of this variable remain unaffected by the inclusion of informal social control. These results confirm a number of previously identified correlates of gun ownership remain influential and suggest that improving perceptions of police among the public may lead to fewer firearms in circulation among the public.

Do the Means Matter? Defense Attorneys’ Perceptions of Procedural Transgressions by Police and Their Implication on Police Legitimacy

2020 ◽  
pp. 088740342091525
Author(s):  
Siyu Liu ◽  
Esther Nir
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Path Model ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Defense Attorneys ◽  
Northeastern State ◽  
Perceptions Of Police ◽  
Influence Perceptions ◽  
Police Effectiveness

Through interviews ( n = 40) and surveys ( n = 140) with separate samples of U.S. defense attorneys practicing criminal law in a Northeastern state, we utilize a mixed-methods approach to explore police procedural transgressions (e.g., pretextual stops, overreaching searches) during stops, searches, and seizures. With a structural equation path model, we examine whether and how procedural justice (an assessment of “the means” to control crime) and police effectiveness (an assessment of police performance or “the ends”) affect each other and influence perceptions of police legitimacy. Our findings indicate that procedural justice enhances perceptions of police legitimacy, whereas police effectiveness does not have an effect. Policy implications for developing mechanisms that discourage procedural transgressions by police are discussed.

Encounters between the police and the public: seize the day or practice avoidance?

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-160
Author(s):  
Allegra Clare Schermuly
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Community Interactions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Police Community Relations ◽  
The Way

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of encounters on police legitimacy and levels of trust in the police in the Monash Local Government Area in the state of Victoria, Australia. Monash was chosen as it had experienced declining results in the official National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing in relation to police legitimacy and trust.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative case study comprising 18 interviews and six focus groups with community representatives from Monash is employed in the paper.FindingsWhen procedural justice approaches are applied during encounters between the police and the public, encounters contribute to securing legitimacy for the police. Contact between the police and the public in everyday situations also enhances trust in the police, depending on the way the police conduct themselves during such interactions.Research limitations/implicationsFindings from a qualitative case study are not able to be widely generalised but the conclusions are still useful for informing insights into processes impacting police legitimacy and trust.Practical implicationsContributes to informing evidence-based police practice around the way police conduct themselves during community interactions; informs policy decisions around allocation of funding for law enforcement with more officers required to carry out community policing; emphasises the importance of prioritising partnerships with communities; demonstrates that positive police/community relations have wider social cohesion implications in a contemporary era of counter-terrorism priorities.Originality/valueThe majority of research in this field to date has been quantitative. A qualitative approach provides fresh insights into the mechanisms of police legitimacy, especially the role of encounters and procedural justice.

Counter-terrorism measures and perceptions of police legitimacy: The importance Muslims place on procedural justice, representative bureaucracy, and bounded-authority concerns

2021 ◽  
pp. 263380762110309
Author(s):  
Mohammed M. Ali ◽  
Kristina Murphy ◽  
Adrian Cherney
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Representative Bureaucracy ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Police Practice ◽  
Counter Terrorism ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Perceptions Of Police ◽  
Terrorism Prevention

Engaging Muslims in counter-terrorism (CT) has proved challenging for police worldwide. Some research has focussed on the utility of police being procedurally just in their CT strategies to enhance their legitimacy and subsequent cooperation from Muslims. Despite the efficacy of procedural justice, however, some have argued that procedural justice scholarship is too narrowly focussed on how police treat citizens. Citizens’ concerns about police acting within the limits of appropriate power (i.e., “bounded-authority” concerns), as well as representativeness in policing (i.e., “representative bureaucracy”), can also influence citizens’ judgments of police legitimacy. This study explores how, when, and why procedural justice, bounded authority, and representation concerns shape Muslims’ perceptions of police CT measures and police legitimacy. Using focus group data from 104 Australian-Muslims, results revealed that CT measures that include Muslims as partners in terrorism prevention and those that draw on principles of procedural justice were perceived most favourably, and were seen to promote police legitimacy. Measures that were condemned were perceived as bounded-authority violations and damaged police legitimacy. Implications for theory and police practice are discussed.

Correlates of perceptions of police legitimacy: Do perceptions of neighborhood crime matter?

2021 ◽  
pp. 146135572110149
Author(s):  
L. Sergio Garduno ◽  
Deborah G. Keeling
Keyword(s):  
Least Squares ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Police Performance ◽  
Neighborhood Characteristics ◽  
Neighborhood Crime ◽  
The Public ◽  
Perceptions Of Police ◽  
Research And Policy

Police legitimacy promotes trust and cooperation between members of the public and the police. Because the police require cooperation from the public to prevent and solve crimes, having high levels of legitimacy is an important asset for them. Researchers have explored policing strategies as well as individual and neighborhood characteristics that explain levels of police legitimacy. However, no study has explored whether perceived neighborhood crimes affect perceptions of police legitimacy. This study addresses this gap in the literature by analyzing the effect that perceiving four types of neighborhood crime as a problem had on levels of police legitimacy among 1773 respondents from a city in the Appalachians. Results obtained from a series of Ordinary Least Squares models indicate that perceptions of neighborhood crime have no significant effect on police legitimacy once police performance is accounted for. Research and policy implications are discussed.

Good Policing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Hough
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Crime Control ◽  
Public Trust ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Justice Theory ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
The Public ◽  
Police Contacts ◽  
The Law

This book conveys the ideas behind procedural justice theory as they apply to policing. It sets out important but complex ideas in jargon-free language to non-specialist readers with an interest in policing – including serving police officers and police recruits as they embark on a degree-level entry programme into the police service. The book’s main message is that public trust in the police builds police legitimacy, and people comply with the law and cooperate with the police when they see the police as legitimate. It argues that public trust in the police serves as the bedrock of police legitimacy. Procedural justice theory provides an account of the reasons why people obey the law that stresses the importance of fair and respectful treatment of the public, and an alignment between policing practice and people’s moral standards. It provides a narrative about crime control that questions the tough ‘no-nonsense’ solutions that politicians often reach for when crime problems emerge. The book’s main policy recommendations are that policing strategies and tactics should always be assessed against criteria of legitimacy, and that the quality of treatment in police contacts with the public is one of the keys to good policing.

scholarly journals Promoting police legitimacy among disengaged minority groups: Does procedural justice matter more?

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 624-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha S Madon ◽  
Kristina Murphy ◽  
Elise Sargeant
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Ethnic Minority Group ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Minority Communities ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Perceptions Of Police

Procedural justice is known to enhance perceptions of police legitimacy. Studies show that procedural justice may be less effective for some individuals and groups, while others show it to be more effective. This study investigates the contingency of the procedural justice effect and considers the effectiveness of procedural justice for certain individuals through the concept of disengagement. Utilizing a survey of 1480 ethnic minority group members, the study tests whether or not disengagement moderates the effect of procedural justice on perceptions of police legitimacy. As expected, we find procedural justice is linked to enhanced perceptions of police legitimacy, while disengagement is associated with reduced perceptions of legitimacy. Interestingly, the study finds that procedural justice is more effective for building legitimacy for ethnic minority respondents who report being highly disengaged from police. These findings highlight how police might be able to improve perceptions of their legitimacy among disaffected minority communities.

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