Measuring perceptions of police use of force

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine issues in measuring perceptions of police useof-force incidents. The Force Factor developed by Alpert and Dunham in 1997 is assessed as an objective, use-of-force measure by comparing it to several previously used measures of the perceived legitimacy of force used by officers in arrest situations. Findings indicate that few predictor variables are consistently related to the various measures of perceptions of the legitimacy of a single use-of-force incident. While the Force Factor uniquely considers level of suspect resistance, it does not appear to overcome perceptual biases inherent to measures of police use-of-force incidents.

Justifying Violence: Legitimacy, Ideology and Public Support for Police Use of Force

“…The most consistent finding in the US criminological literature is that minority group members are more critical towards police use of force than majority group members (Arthur & Case, 1994;Barkan & Cohn, 1998;Johnson & Kuhns, 2009), with this statistical effect remaining even after controlling for socio-demographics such as income, education and employment (Jefferis, Butcher, & Hanley, 2011). According to Jefferis et al (2011) such negative attitudes are probably due to negative experiences between citizens and the police in minority communities, as well as experiences reported through the media.…”

“…According to Jefferis et al (2011) such negative attitudes are probably due to negative experiences between citizens and the police in minority communities, as well as experiences reported through the media. Johnson and Kuhns (2009) found that both the race of the respondent and the race of the offender (police officer) predicted attitudes towards police use of force.…”

The Overlooked Perspective of Police Trust in the Public: Measurement and Effects on Police Job Behaviors

“…Another potential risk for police officers is that the public may judge their behavior as unjust or ineffective (Brandl, Frank, Worden, & Bynum, 1994; Chandek, 1999; Hopkins, Hewstone, & Hantzi, 1992; Jefferis, Butcher, & Hanley, 2011; Mason et al, 2014; Reisig & Chandek, 2001; Ren, Cao, Lovrich, & Gaffney, 2005). This can put an officer’s reputation and career at risk, especially if the incident garners national attention.…”

The Dehumanization of Black Males by Police: Teaching Social Justice—Black Life Really Does Matter!

“…Due to these stereotypes, a critical race approach suggests that not taking race into account hinders optimal law enforcement practices and helps us gain an understanding of why police officers view Black males as potential perpetrators and how race is related to aggressive actions against Black males (Jefferis, Butcher, & Hanley, 2011). Unfortunately, most people who have not been oppressed may find it difficult to comprehend the issues being discussed here.…”