VOICES: Police and Public Reactions to an Intergroup Intervention

• In Event: Lightning Talk: Policing: Theory, Diversity, Enforcement, & Partnerships

Abstract

This presentation analyzes police and public reactions to an intergroup-communication intervention developed and tested in mid-sized police department in California. I will discuss the theory underlying, including intergroup contact theory, the development of the intervention, as well as its implementation as a means of improving relationships between police officers and members of the Hispanic community. Based on thematic analysis of interviews with program participants, I provide qualitative evidence of police and public reactions to the intervention. The data presented herein suggest that the intervention improved empathy and trust between participants from both groups.

Authors

• Shawn Hill, University of California, Santa Barbara

• Lidia Nuño, Texas State University

• Ed Maguire, Arizona State University

• Howie Giles, University of California, Santa Barbara