Disentangling the relationship between race and attitudes toward the police: police contact, perceptions of safety, and procedural justice

Recent incidents involving police shootings of unarmed men of color have increased tensions between communities and police departments across the United States. In response, scholars have intensified efforts to understand the factors that shape attitudes toward the police. The current study examines...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wheelock, Darren (Author)
Contributors: Stroshine, Meghan S. ; O'Hear, Michael
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2019
In: Crime & delinquency
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
Volltext (Verlag)
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Keywords:
Einstellung zur Polizei
Polizeiarbeit
Procedural justice
Quantitative
Racial minorities
Satisfaction with police
Description
Summary:Recent incidents involving police shootings of unarmed men of color have increased tensions between communities and police departments across the United States. In response, scholars have intensified efforts to understand the factors that shape attitudes toward the police. The current study examines individual and aggregate factors that influence satisfaction with the police. To this end, we address three research questions: (a) are there significant racial/ethnic differences in satisfaction with police; (b) do these differences persist after accounting for experiences with the police, perceptions of safety, and aggregate measures; and (c) can procedural justice help explain racial variation in attitudes toward the police? Study findings highlight the importance of perceptions of safety in explaining racial/ethnic variation in attitudes toward the police.
ISSN:1552-387X
DOI:10.1177/0011128718811928