PurposeIn spite of the importance of officers' perception of organizational justice and its influence on organizational commitment, the policing literature lacks information about the relationship between the factors. Using job satisfaction as a mediator, this study aims to examine an indirect influence of organizational justice on police officers' commitment to their organization.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a survey of 418 police officers in South Korea while on in‐service training. In exploring the complex relationship among organizational justice (i.e. distributive, procedural, and interactional), job satisfaction, and organizational commitment, the researchers utilized structural equation modeling to overcome the weaknesses of linear regression models.FindingsOfficers' perception of organizational justice was positively related with their level of organizational commitment. In addition, perception of procedural and interactional justice had an indirect impact on the officers' organizational commitment through distributive justice. Lastly, perception of organizational justice showed an indirect influence on organizational commitment through job satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsDue to its cross‐sectional design, the findings do not confirm any causal relationship among the variables. In addition, the current study used a purposive sample of police officers in South Korea, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by examining organizational commitment in light of officers' perception of organizational justice and job satisfaction using structural equation modeling to explore the complex relationship among the organizational factors.

Many people are enthusiastic about the potential benefits of police body-worn cameras (BWC). Despite this enthusiasm, however, there has been no research on law enforcement command staff perceptions of BWCs. Given the importance that law enforcement leadership plays in the decision to adopt and implement BWCs, it is necessary to assess their perceptions. This is the first study to measure law enforcement leadership attitudes toward BWCs. The study relies on data collected from surveys administered to command staff representing local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in a large southern county. Among the major perceptual findings are that command staff believe BWCs will impact police officers' decisions to use force in encounters with citizens and police will be more reluctant to use necessary force in encounters with the public. Respondents also believe that use of BWCs is supported by the public because society does not trust police, media will use BWC data to embarrass police, and pressure to implement BWCs comes from the media. Perceptions of the impact of BWCs on safety, privacy, and police effectiveness are also discussed.

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Despite relatively little extant research, efforts to expand the use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) in policing are increasing. Although recent research suggests positive impacts of BWCs on reducing police use-of-force and citizen complaints, little is known about community members’ perceptions of BWCs. The current study examined perceptions of residents of two Florida counties and found a large majority of respondents supported the use of BWCs. Structural equation modeling was utilized to examine factors that influence views of BWCs. Findings indicate that positive perceptions of police performance and more police interaction were associated with greater perceived benefits of BWCs, whereas concerns about the privacy reduced perceived BWC benefits. Respondents’ views of procedural fairness and crime concern were indirectly related to perceptions BWC benefits. Non-White and younger respondents were indirectly less likely to perceive benefits. Implications of these findings and future directions for research are discussed.

Using sentencing data from 1994 to 2002, spanning two different sentencing policies, this study examines the complex relationship between felony offenders' prior record, race/ethnicity, current offense, and sentencing outcomes. Expanding on past research, this study incorporates multiple dimensions of prior record and analyzes the differential impact of these dimensions across race/ethnicity and offense type. Unlike previous research, the current study examines these complex effects across different sentencing policies. The findings suggest that sentencing authorities' calculations of risk and dangerousness may not be based solely on legal considerations such as prior record and offense type or on extralegal factors such as race and ethnicity. Instead, it appears that a complex interplay exists between these legal and extralegal characteristics. Furthermore, the importance of policy change with regard to prior record and race/ethnicity is highlighted by the findings.