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Factors that influence student perception of legitimacy of police
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above because students were more likely to be involved with municipal officers anywhere else than nonstudents. Bryan had interacted with the officers more than 25 times, and Kevin was only involved once. Clinton and Matt average was between 3-4 times interacting with an officer from anywhere else.
Demeanor
Demeanor may indicate how an individual views legitimacy of police. When participants may have a positive view on police, they are more likely to perceive police as legitimate. Many factors in demeanor involved eye roll, rude or sarcastic, argue, curse, threaten, lie, pull away, attack, attempted to flee, refused to answer questions, refused to comply with an officer’s orders, spit.
Students were more likely to show misdemeanor than nonstudents.
The Bureau of Justice conducted a police-public contact survey. Eith and Durose (2011) state that 9 out of 10 residents who were sixteen years old or older advise that they believed that the officer’s that they had contact with, acted fairly and did not abuse their authority.
In the line of police force it is imperative to think outside of the box. Many people confuse a police officer’s curiosity as racial profiling and racism. However, this is how a police officer often finds the majority of their evidence. In many neighborhoods, there a dominant races that live within the community. For example, if a wealthy white man was driving around a predominantly minority-based community, it would be acceptable for a police officer to grow skeptical at this situation. It is obvious that man is out of place, and it is the police officer 's duty to further investigate the
The influence of higher education on police officer habits would surprise many according to Matthew D. Bostrom, D.P.A of the Saint Paul Police Department in “Police Chief Magazine-The Professional Voice of Law Enforcement”. Although a degree is required for some agencies and considered ideal for any person looking to join the law enforcement field, surveys show otherwise says Bostrom. According to a study conducted in St. Paul, Minnesota there were more on-duty vehicle collisions by officers with formal education beyond high school than those who only obtained a high school diploma. The article also shows figures indicating more disciplinary actions towards officers with college degrees and a significant difference in those of officers with high school diplomas only. The measurements of work habits shown indicate that perhaps a college degree in general is not necessary to be an effective police officer. Traffic Officer James Dunn of the California Highway Patrol in an interview said, “a degree can be beneficial, but some people are very eloquent and knowledgeable even without attending college-a person can learn the specific duties of any job, but college does not teach you the responsibilities of being a police officer. You learn that by hands-on training”. Although a degree is helpful, Officer Dunn admits that he has been very successful in the law
The emphasis on the need for police officers to have a post secondary education is not new. During the Political Era of policing, police officers were often politically appointed, regardless of their level of capacity to do the job. Forms of corruption like nepotism, bribes, and politically based decisions were commonplace. As such, the public’s perception of the police was that they were lawless and their trust and confidence soon eroded away. This era resulted in a need for reform. ...
Ofshe, Richard J., and Richard A. Leo. The Social Psychology of Police Interrogation: The Theory and Classification of True and False Confessions (1997). Web. 28 Nov. 2011.
Any cop can tell you they have never had an incident where a person in their charge was hurt, but how can one know for sure whether or not the officer is telling the truth? Body cameras help to regulate the behavior of police officers. By having evidence of their day to day proclivities, offers have an incentive to behave a certain way when viewed. The camera acts as a psychological guide to help ensure the best performance and behavior from an officer. A case study was made to see how cameras affect the police officers psychologically which shows that, “People adhere to social norms and alter their behavior because of the awareness that someone else is watching.
The understanding of police work is somewhat similar to the same way officers analyze and deal assholes. As we know understanding of police work deals with maintaining order, but at the same time they might come to counter certain individuals who will question the authority of the police. That’s called moral mandate. The officer has to decide in what way he is going to proceed the encounter with. The officer can get physical with the individual, he can just pretend he never heard anything and let it go, or he could find the simplest probable cause to make an arrest. It is similar to when police officers are dealing with assholes. They need to figure out if the individual is going to cooperate, question, or go against police authority. Territoriality is also an important key to understanding police work. It is an advantage if the officer knows his surroundings because then the officer will know when something is going on. Now when it comes to dealing with an asshole, the officer is familiar with the characteristics of someone that is going to be trouble. Once they approach the individual they can if they are dealing with an asshole. If it is an asshole they are dealing with they need to follow three stages to make sure what the circumstances are and how to deal with the individual. Those three stages are Affront, Clarification, and Remedy.
Wilson, J. (1978). Varieties of Police Behavior: The Management of Law and Order in Eight American Communities. American Journal of Sociology, 75(1), 160-162
In any society, the simple need for protection and law enforcement is crucial. Not only do police officers’ carry its duty to serve and protect but also security officers, airport police and the transit police emulate the same the same qualities to ensure citizens that they are being protected. The different styles of authority uniform can contribute to the way one might respond to these figures. Persuasion toward authority can vary depending on location and how close do uniforms resemble police officers. Different influences can also view the characteristics-color, style and fit of uniforms and negative make assumptions because of recent events. Figures in uniform affect the process of persuasion in everyday society.
Weitzer, Ronald, and Steven A. Tuch. "Race and Perceptions of Police Misconduct." JSTOR. Aug. 2004. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
Many of the citizens never had a one on one altercation with the law they only base their opinions on experiences with the police influence from other citizens, and that where they get their general image of the police. Many study indicates that police courteousness/friendliness in the direction of the citizen in a recent contact with police exerts the most powerful influence on the citizen’s general assessment of the police. However more studies have indicated that people’s previous overall views of police have sturdier influence on their evaluation of a succeeding specific contact than their evaluation of a specific contact has on subsequent overall views of police. The majority of the American public has not had face-to-face contact with a police officer. Most people respect the mass media as their primary source of information about the many crimes that go on around them, and crime news is the background for most mass media interpretations of police work. The implied message of much crime news is the lack of ability to catch offenders. A trend that is rising in a major way is in the news media. They are using it to focus their attention on a few
Leo, R and Ofshe R. The Social Psychology of Police Interrogation: The Theory and Classification of True and False Confessions. 16 Studies in Law, Politics and Society 189,
According to Chess and Thomas (1985), there are three types of temperaments that children reflect. The first temperament that children reflect is called the “easy temperament,” this is call easy because children with this temperament tend to adapt to new environments and are easy to adjust to new people. In addition, another temperament that exists is called the “difficult temperament.” Children with this temperament tend to have difficulties adapting to new environments; they also express the intensity of their mood, which is usually negative. Chess and Thomas (1985) explain that children who have difficult temperaments have difficulties adapting to new people and they tend to show it by crying. Furthermore, another temperament that exist
The definition of ethical behavior usually includes the a few things that are the known standards and expectations of society, including trustworthiness, respectfulness and most importantly humility. Usually, these ethical standards are also accepted as professional standards. For law enforcement officers, these standards also include integrity and courageousness. According to an arrival written by the United States Department of Justice, entitled “Ethics and Integrity”, all of these characteristics are fundamental to the effectiveness of police officers and the connections they strive to build with the communities they work in.
Good communication is essential to how well police officers interact with the public because it influences how the public responds to officers. Listening, speaking, writing and focusing on what others say are all ways officers can affect the way the public views them. A lack of these vital communications skills results in poor understanding, an officer not knowing how to proceed, and people who need police assistance giving up. Officers must also consider how communication might affect a community’s reaction. It is obvious that these traits are very important for optimal police work. Experiences show that people react more calmly and cooperatively when police officers treat them well. Therefore, good communication is needed in order to make the jobs of police officers easier and more positive.