Good Cop, Bad Cop: Study Examines Public Perception of Police

by Jim Kouri, CPP A research study by the National Institute of Justice has found that neighborhood characteristics and interactions with police are the factors that most influence public opinion of the police. The study, conducted in Los Angeles, found that residents from neighborhoods perceived to be crime ridden, dangerous, and disorderly were less likely to approve of the police. In contrast, residents who had informal personal contact with police were more likely to express approval. It also disclaims the conventional wisdom that perceptions of police are based on news media coverage of police misconduct. Race and ethnicity, factors cited as influential in other studies, were not found to be as important as community disorder in determining the public's satisfaction with police. Race and ethnicity did affect assessment of police demeanor. The media were found to have little influence on public opinion of the police. Los Angeles Residents Researchers mailed a survey to residents in four diverse areas of Los Angeles. Using a series of questions, they measured two aspects of police performance: * Job approval. The measure of job approval was based on a six-question scale modified from work in Chicago, which asked residents how well police in their neighborhood prevent crime, help victims, and solve problems. * Officer demeanor. The measure of officer demeanor was formed from five questions that asked respondents whether police were respectful,trustworthy, fair, or helpful and how concerned they acted. The study focused on four factors that were thought to influence public opinion of the police: * Residents' perceptions of the levels of disorder and crime in their neighborhood and the neighbors' sense of mutual trust and responsibility. * Residents' formal and informal contacts with police and prior experience as victims of violent and property crime. * Residents' demographic characteristics. * The role of the media. Previous research suggests that an individual's opinion of the police is filtered through these factors, but relatively little is known about how they work together to influence perceptions of police performance. As might be expected, residents expressed less approval of officers and the way they do their job when residents perceived problems with disorder or violent crime in their neighborhood or reported being fearful. The level of social cohesion and informal social control present in a neighborhood also influenced residents' assessments of the police. This characteristic describes residents' sense of mutual trust and responsibility. To determine the level of neighborhood cohesion and control, residents in this survey were asked, among other questions, whether people in their neighborhood got along with each other, shared the same values, could be trusted, were willing to help their neighbors, and could be counted on to intervene in neighborhood problems, such as children skipping school or the potential closing of a fire station because of budget cuts. As indicated residents who responded positively to these and related questions were much likelier to approve of police performance and demeanor. Public opinion was associated with neighborhood cohesion and control for two reasons. First, residents who reported living in neighborhoods where neighbors got along, shared similar values, and could rely on each other were likelier to have informal contacts with police officers than those who reported living in neighborhoods where these traits were less common. Second, these respondents are likelier to believe that the community shares responsibility with the police for a safe and orderly neighborhood. They are therefore less likely to judge police officers harshly when crime and social disorder occur. Citizen/Police Contacts The survey captured two kinds of contact with officers: formal and informal. Forty-eight percent of the respondents reported some type of formal contact with local police. These formal contacts included residents' calls to police stations requesting service and police questioning of residents regarding possible crimes. These formal contacts also included arrests of 1 percent of the respondents. Forty-seven percent of the respondents reported informal contacts with police. These informal contacts included conversations with police officers on patrol and interactions with police at community meetings, police-sponsored youth activities, and community safety fairs. Although almost half the respondents reported informal contacts with police, less than one in five residents said they knew or recognized police officers who worked in their community. Those with only informal contacts hold the highest opinions of police performance and officer demeanor. Those with only formal contacts hold the least positive attitudes toward local police on these two measures. Individuals with no contacts with police have high opinions of job performance and officer demeanor. Informal contact with police had a significant effect on job approval ratings, even when considering residents' perceptions of the level of disorder in their neighborhood. For residents who reported low levels of disorder, job approval ratings ranged from 71 percent for residents with only formal contact with police to almost 90 percent for those with either no contact or only informal contact. Residents who reported high levels of neighborhood disorder had a wide range of opinion about job performance--35 percent who had only formal contact, 49 percent who had both formal and informal contact, and 85 percent who had only informal contact approved of police performance. Prior Victimization Prior victimization, especially violent crime victimization, significantly lowered residents' approval of the police. Fifty-seven percent of respondents who were violent crime victims and 70 percent who were property (but not violent) crime victims approved of police performance. In comparison, 85 percent of residents who were not crime victims approved of the job their local police were doing. This pattern held for respondents' opinions of officer demeanor, although the difference in perceptions between crime victims and nonvictims was not as great. The lower approval ratings for crime victims are consistent with past research. Race and Ethnicity Factors Much of the literature focuses on the association of race and ethnicity with public opinion of the police. Studies have found that ethnic minorities, particularly blacks, report less favorable attitudes toward the police than whites, possibly because of their perception that minorities are mistreated more often by police. At first glance, the results of the current study seem to confirm the findings of these studies. Whites express higher opinions of police performance and demeanor than any other race/ethnic group. However, once respondents are categorized further by the level of perceived disorder in their neighborhood, the racial/ethnic-based differences in approval of job performance disappear. Although whites in low-disorder neighborhoods appear to have a higher opinion of police performance, disorder is clearly the main influence. Conversely, residents' opinions about officer demeanor were more affected by their race and ethnicity, even though disorder remained important. Blacks were less likely to think that local police were trustworthy, fair, helpful, concerned, and respectful of others in both orderly and disorderly neighborhoods. Media Perception Police are particularly concerned about the media's influence on attitudes toward them. Several Los Angeles police supervisors who were interviewed before the survey was conducted stated that they believed that a few highly publicized incidents might have a widespread negative influence on residents' view of the police. In this survey, 65 percent of the respondents indicated that personal experience (including respondents' experience with other police agencies and their secondhand knowledge of the experience of others) most shaped their opinions of the LAPD. Thirty-five percent were most influenced by mass media (including newspapers, radio, and television). The study found that residents who rely most on the media did not report less favorable opinions regarding the overall job performance and demeanor of the police than those most influenced by personal experience. According to this study, disorderly neighborhoods and neighborhoods with poor social cohesion and control present a challenge for officer-community relations. Local community surveys can help police to identify and address residents' situations and concerns. Communities also may benefit from community policing strategies that increase informal contact between local officers and residents. The findings confirm and expand on earlier studies that suggested informal contact raises public opinion of the police. In this survey, speaking to officers on patrol or at community events was associated with a positive opinion of police performance, whether or not the resident lived in a disorderly neighborhood. It could be that those predisposed to be more favorable are likelier to initiate informal contact with officers. In any event, it seems likely that promoting informal social contact may favorably influence public opinion. Police departments may want to evaluate the ways that they encourage or discourage informal contact with residents. Police-community partnerships are more effective when they incorporate greater informal contact with residents. Although past literature relies heavily on demographic characteristics to explain public opinion, this study found that the most important factors influencing favorable opinion of the police were greater informal contact with police, less victimization, less fear of crime, lower perceived level of violent crime, lower perceived disorder in one's neighborhood, and higher neighborhood cohesion and control. Race and ethnicity were not shown to significantly determine public opinion of police performance once other factors (such as perceived neighborhood disorder) were considered. Residents' trust in the police, however, was influenced by race and ethnicity. Police and others often perceive the media as having a significant effect on the public's opinion of police performance. According to this study's findings, the media did not appear to be a source of negative opinion of the LAPD. Instead of relying on the media for their opinions, respondents appeared to react primarily to their own experiences and expectations in forming opinions of their local police. Source: National Institute of Justice, National Criminal Justice Reference Center, National Association of Chiefs of Police, American Federation of Police Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. He writes for many police and crime magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer, Campus Law Enforcement Journal, and others. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can be ordered at local bookstores.