Patrol career interest and perceptions of barriers among African-American criminal justice students

Abstract

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to evaluate whether black and African-American criminal justice students perceive barriers to a police patrol career differently than white students, and whether the perceptions of these barriers impact desire to enter a police patrol career. Design/methodology/approach-The current inquiry uses a self-administered survey of over 630 undergraduate students in criminal justice classes across five public universities. Findings-Findings suggest that African-American students differ significantly from white students in perceived social disapproval of patrol careers, respect for police and perceptions of whether the police engage in racial profiling. These perceptions display a significant indirect relationship indicating lower patrol career interest for black and African-American students compared to all other races. Research limitations/implications-Research limitations of the current inquiry include the lack of a nationally representative sample, the use of four-year university students as a sample to represent the potential police patrol applicant pool, and the use of a survey instrument to gauge respondent beliefs about patrol careers as opposed to actions they would take in pursuit of a police career. Practical implications-Findings from the current inquiry indicate that departments may need to focus more on improving global perceptions of the police and discussing the nature of the career with recruit social support structures. Police recruiters should focus on techniques such as addressing social isolation experienced by the police rather than on decreasing standards for background checks or simply increasing awareness of police careers. Originality/value-The current inquiry is one of the first to explore perceptions of barriers to entering a patrol career among CJ students. It is also among the first to examine the impact these perceptions have on patrol career interest. The findings may also help criminal justice instructors more fully discuss these barriers with students of color.

Influence of Gender on Perceptions of Barriers to a Police Patrol Career

“…Several other demographic variables have been shown to influence both perceptions of barriers to entering a police career and patrol career interest (Rossler et al., 2019). As such, we include a series of control variables for race (i.e., Black, Latino, Other race), with White students serving as the reference category.…”

“…One suggestion is to bring in a critical mass of female recruits. Based on the results of Aiello (2018), that when the physical expectations were explicitly stated on recruitment materials, physicality was not a significant barrier for women interested in a policing career. Future research should replicate these findings to see if explicitly stating academy experiences such as tasering and pepper spraying recruits (or explicitly stating recruits will not be exposed to tasering and Oleoresin Capsicum spray) and hand combat and physical fighting expectations will reduce their likelihood of being a barrier to potential female recruits.…”

“…Michael T. Rossler https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2000-2738 Notes 1. For a more comprehensive accounting of the survey design and administration, consult Rossler et al (2019). 2.…”

Examining Views of Police Chiefs and College Students Regarding Drug Disqualifiers for the Hiring of Police Officers in Arizona

“…While this study serves as an important first step in assessing perceptions on drug disqualifiers by both potential police applicants and those hiring them, there is still a great deal of work that can be done moving forward. Future research should use multivariate models to examine different demographic factors that may influence the perspectives on drugs and other police career issues (see Rossler et al, 2019, 2020), as well as find ways to survey samples more representative of police applicants. Furthermore, it would also be valuable to examine the perspectives of both chiefs and students in other states to better understand the generalizability of these findings and the potential for similar or different rule change recommendations.…”

Do college students’ perceptions of the police differ by education level and major?

“…Furthermore, students majoring and double majoring in law enforcement and criminal justice are significantly less likely to perceive that officers engage in police misconduct than students majoring outside of law enforcement and criminal justice (Sethuraju et al, 2017). Rossler, Scheer, and Suttmoeller also found that CJ majors have greater overall respect for the police (Rossler et al, 2018). This study evaluated black and African-American criminal justice students to see if their perceptions of barriers to a police patrol career differ from white students, in addition to seeing if their perceptions of these barriers impact their desire to enter a police patrol career.…”