ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLICE AND THE LARGER ATTITUDE COMPLEX - IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS

• NCJ Number: 42111
• Journal: Criminology Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: (MAY 1977) Pages: 67-86
• Author(s): S L ALBRECHT; M GREEN
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 20 pages
• Corporate Author: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS ARTICLE POSTULATES THAT THE GROWING CONCERN WITH NEGATIVE PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLICE ON POLICE-COMMUNITY POLARIZATION AND MORALE HAS LED TO MANY EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE POLICE IMAGE AND PUBLIC RELATIONS.

Abstract

IT IS PROPOSED THAT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SUCH PROGRAMS IS HINDERED BY THEIR FAILURE TO CONSIDER THAT PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLICE DO NOT EXIST IN ISOLATION, BUT ARE A PART OF A BROADER COMPLEX OF ATTITUDES TOWARD THE SYSTEM OF LEGAL JUSTICE AND ITS VARIOUS REPRESENTITIVES. DATA FROM FOUR DIFFERENT SAMPLES OF RESIDENTS OF A WESTERN STATE PROVIDE SOME TENTATIVE SUPPORT FOR THIS HYPOTHESIS. IMPLICATIONS OF THE DATA FOR PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS ARE DISCUSSED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED) ...MSP