Contextual Factors and Trust in the Police in a Small City

• In Event: Context and Public Perceptions of Police

Abstract

Public trust is essential to the police function. Prior research has established the importance of citizens’ trust in the police; however, most of these studies have focused their effort on investigating in large and urban cities. The present study contributes to existing literature by incorporating contextual factors to determine the elements that are associated with trust in the police in a small city. The association between trust in the police and community characteristics, citizen perceptions of police, and citizen experiences with police was assessed. By using ordinary least squared regression, the results from the analysis found that attitudes towards public institutions and quality of police services were significantly associated in determining citizens’ trust in the police. These results and limitations are further discussed.

Authors

• Heeuk Dennis Lee, Weber State University

• David Kim, University of New Haven

• Youngki Woo, Washington State University