The "Ferguson-Shift": Evidence of a Potential Change in Public Perceptions of the Police

• In Event: Poster Session I

Abstract

Police officers across the United States have been on the receiving end of heightened scrutiny in the years following the incidents in Ferguson(Missouri) and Baltimore ( Maryland). More specifically, there is public concern for how white police officers interact with minority citizens. This research examined how manipulating the race of a defendant and a police officer eyewitness (White, Black, Hispanic) in a mock-trial influenced perceptions of eyewitness credibility, police legitimacy, and juror judgment. Subjects (N=250) listened to an audiotape of a trial involving an armed robbery and then completed a questionnaire (eyewitness credibility, juror judgment). Prior to participating, participants filled out a survey assessing their racial biases. Police officers were perceived to be significantly more credible when the defendant was White compared to when the defendant was Black. Additionally, police officers overall were perceived to be more credible when the defendant was White. These findings could suggest a shift in the public’s attitudes towards police officers; more specifically White police officers dealing with Black defendants. The researchers called this effect the “Ferguson-shift”.

Authors

• Donovan Kelley, University of New Hampshire

• Ellen S Cohn, University of New Hampshire