NCJ Number
79718
Date Published
1977
Length
89 pages
Annotation
Findings are presented from a little over 60 national studies that examined public attitudes toward the police over the period 1960 to 1976.
Abstract
This study involves secondary data analysis, since no new data have been collected for this particular study. The studies considered involved about 130,000 Americans, with particular attention to the perspectives of residents of the Nation's largest cities (250,000 or more population). Findings show that most Americans have positive feelings toward the police, expressed as respect, satisfaction with performance, and willingness to cooperate with the police. Police officers, for the most part, are felt to be honest and reasonably fair to all types of people. Few respondents accused police officers of brutality or the unnecessary use of force. Most are satisfied with police response time, but a sizable minority views police reaction time as too slow. Respondents would like to see officers spend more time on most activities, but especially on foot patrol. Commitment to improved relations with minority residents and juveniles is also desired. Black respondents were consistently more negative toward the police than white respondents, as blacks complained of police brutality, unfairness, and dishonesty. Younger respondents, persons with lower incomes, and those less educated were also less inclined to be positive toward the police. Many respondents favor either giving police additional authority or redefining their existing authority so that criminal offenses may be further curtailed. Appended are a discussion of the data collection process and a list of the studies encompassed in the analysis. Tabular data are provided. Supplemental material are appended. (Author summary modified)