Testing a Theoretical Model of Perceived Audience Legitimacy: The Neglected Linkage in the Dialogic Model of Police–community Relations

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Nix ◽  
Justin T. Pickett ◽  
Scott E. Wolfe
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
The Public ◽  
Democratic Policing ◽  
Perception Theory ◽  
Police Community Relations ◽  
National Probability Sample ◽  
Ongoing Dialogue

Objectives: Democratic policing involves an ongoing dialogue between officers and citizens about what it means to wield legitimate authority. Most of the criminological literature on police legitimacy has focused on citizens’ perceptions of this dialogue—that is, audience legitimacy. Consequently, we know little about how officers perceive their legitimacy in the eyes of the public and the antecedents of such perceptions. Pulling together separate strands of literature pertaining to citizen demeanor, hostile media perceptions, and danger perception theory, we propose and test a theoretical model of perceived audience legitimacy. Method: We conducted two separate studies: the first a survey of 546 officers working at a southern U.S. agency and the second a survey of a national probability sample of 665 executives and high-ranking officers. Results: Local violent crime rates, but not minority group size or growth, are associated with lower perceived audience legitimacy. Additionally, recent experiences with citizen disrespect and global perceptions of citizen animus are both inversely associated with perceived audience legitimacy. The perceived hostility of local, but not national, media coverage is also associated with lower perceived audience legitimacy. Conclusions: Our results suggest a need for additional research that explores whether the antecedents of audience legitimacy indirectly affect police behaviors, like the use of force.

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

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.

Body-Worn Cameras

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.

‘It’s not like it used to be’: Respect and nostalgia in the policing of nightlife

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip Wadds
Keyword(s):  
Community Relations ◽  
Law And Order ◽  
Night Time ◽  
The Public ◽  
Working Lives ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Contemporary Work ◽  
Police Community Relations ◽  
Regulatory Controls

Contemporary debates regarding criminal justice, law and order, and also the occupational consciousness of policing itself, are often concerned with a mythical period of heightened ‘respect’ for authority that is contrasted with the decline of such respect in contemporary work patterns and interaction with the public. This nostalgia features most prominently in discussions about spaces and work practices where officers feel threatened, challenged or ‘under-siege’. One such site is the night-time economy, where expansion of drinking-based leisure and a long-term liberalisation of regulatory controls have exerted more pressure on police and produced urban spaces where this ‘lack of respect’ is keenly felt. This paper analyses themes that emerged from 15 interviews conducted with current and former members of the New South Wales Police Force to argue that the emergence and growth of urban nightlife have played a key role in promoting a nostalgic discourse that reflects ambivalence about historical efforts to lift police–community relations and the more formal regulation of interaction with the public. Such nostalgia also serves as a personal, social and existential resource that helps fortify shared meaning and a sense of solidarity in the working lives of officers.

Body Cameras and Policing

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryce Elling Peterson ◽  
Daniel S. Lawrence
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Privacy Concerns ◽  
The Public ◽  
The People ◽  
Citizen Complaints ◽  
Police Community Relations ◽  
The Impact

Body-worn cameras (BWCs) are small devices that police officers can affix to their person—in a head-, shoulder-, or chest-mounted position—that can audio and video record their interactions with community members. BWCs have received strong support from the public and, in recent years, widespread buy-in from police leadership and officers because of their ability to improve accountability and transparency and enhance the collection of evidence. Implementation guidelines recommend that officers activate their BWCs during each officer–citizen interaction and inform the people they encounter that they are being recorded. Early research on this technology found that officers equipped with body cameras were significantly less likely to engage in force and receive citizen complaints. However, more recent studies with larger samples have had mixed findings about the impact of body cameras on use of force, citizen complaints, and other police activities and behaviors. Numerous legal and ethical considerations are associated with BWCs, including their implications for privacy concerns and public disclosure. However, police officials, policymakers, civil rights groups, and the public must continue to weigh these privacy concerns against the potential for BWCs to enhance police accountability and transparency. Future scholarship should focus on the degree to which BWCs can improve police–community relations and yield valuable evidence for both criminal cases and internal investigations.

Racial Profiling and Policing Black Communities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Kirven
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Black Males ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Social Order ◽  
Racial Profiling ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Contact Theory ◽  
Black Communities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Police Community Relations

Strained police-community relations are not new to distressed and black communities. However, recent decades of modern-day policing have become a challenging, stressful job for officers in terms of safety and social order, job performance, and being recorded (often on cell phones) and quickly judged by the public. This article looks at racial profiling, implicit bias, and how the heavy hand of order-maintenance policing is used to the detriment of black communities, especially black males. The relevance of contact theory will be discussed in terms of its relevance for reaching mutual ground between black males and police officers. This article offers practical strategies for (a) social workers (community practitioners), (b) black males and citizens of color , and ( c) police officers themselves. For officers specifically, this potential awareness can lead to healthier, neutral experiences with black males leading to positive policing of black communities.

“We are all in this together:” police use of social media during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaochen Hu ◽  
Beidi Dong ◽  
Nicholas Lovrich
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Police Agencies ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Police Community Relations ◽  
Facebook Pages

PurposePrevious studies consistently indicate that police agencies tend to use social media to assist in criminal investigations, to improve police-community relations and to broadcast both crime- and non-crime-related tips promotive of public safety. To date, little research has examined what content the police tended to post on their social media sites during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachBy selecting the 14 most widely attended police agencies' Facebook accounts, the current study collects and analyzes a sample of 2,477 police Facebook postings between February 1 and May 31, 2020. By using a mix-method approach, the study addresses three research questions: 1) What kinds of messages did the police tend to post on their Facebook pages before and during this pandemic? 2) What types of COVID-related police Facebook postings were made? 3) How did the public react to COVID-19-related police Facebook postings?FindingsThe findings suggest that the police have come to believe that social media can be used as an effective police−public communicative tool in stressful times. The findings also suggest that social media platforms have become a routinized tool of police−public communications which can, to some appreciable extent, substitute for the in-person contacts traditionally relied upon in community policing.Originality/valueThis study of police use of social media explores the question of whether the use of these media can serve as an effective tool to connect the police with the public under circumstances where in-person contacts are greatly constrained. Some public policy implications emerging from the findings reported are discussed, along with implications for further research along these lines.

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.

scholarly journals Policing the coronavirus pandemic: Nigeria police senior officers’ views on preparedness, response, legitimacy and post-COVID policing

2021 ◽  
pp. 146135572110640
Author(s):  
Richard A. Aborisade ◽  
Oluwajuwon G. Ariyo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Police Community Relations ◽  
Senior Officers

In the wake of pandemic policing occasioned by COVID-19, Nigeria police have been facing challenges of a lack of legitimacy, together with what is termed the militarization of police operations. This has impacted considerably on police–community relations. Meanwhile, early reports on the police response to the pandemic indicated high levels of lockdown violation, despite adoption of a militarized option in the enforcement of restriction orders. In reviewing one of the first police interventions on a public health crisis in Nigeria, a qualitative study was conducted among top-ranking police officers who supervised the enforcement of lockdown and other COVID-19 measures. Sixteen interviews were conducted and a thematic analysis of the narratives was carried out. Police unpreparedness for public health interventions, and public resistance to the use of repressive, force-led styles of policing were identified as major impediments to positive pandemic policing. Therefore, police officers are advised to ensure the application of procedurally just practices in their interactions with the public.

scholarly journals Toward Enhancing Police-Community Relations in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
Maikano Madaki ◽  
Mustapha Hashim Kurfi
Keyword(s):  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Law And Order ◽  
Police Reform ◽  
The Public ◽  
Specific Deterrence ◽  
Attitudinal Factors ◽  
Law Enforcement Agency ◽  
Police Community Relations ◽  
High Sense

<div><p>This paper examines the existing relationship between the police and members of the public in Nigeria, highlighting the various problems endemic in both parties (the police and the public). The paper provides the essential pragmatic means of further enhancing this relationship for a better and peaceful society through the principles of community policing. The authors take a multi-dimensional approach to the police public relationship (P-PR) in Nigeria positing thatprimarily, there are structural, organizational, and attitudinal factors that led to the deteriorating nature of the P-PR in Nigeria. The paper posits that co-operation between the police and the public is a prerequisite for the success of any law enforcement agency, notably the police as well as a better, peaceful, and harmonious society. The police alone cannot achieve this without support from the members of the public whom they serve. For that kind of good working condition to be created, the police need to be polite, friendly, approachable, honest, law abiding and demonstrate high sense of responsibility in dealing with members of the public and in discharging their duties. On the other hand, the public must understand that maintaining law and order is a collective responsibility between the parties and should do everything possible to assist the police in protecting lives and property. Good and objective partnership between the community and the police will help bring positive response to crimes and other social problems.This can be achieved by ensuring proper and genuine police reform in the country to overhaul the organization and by bringing to book corrupt officers and men as general and specific deterrence.</p></div>

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