Public Expectations of Police Responses to School Shootings

• In Event: Public Opinions on COVID-19 and the Criminal Justice System

Abstract

Recent public scrutiny regarding police responses to school shootings has raised questions about police response times and expectations of self-sacrifice by police. However, the extent to which police are expected to intervene is unknown. The current study uses an experimental design with vignettes describing fictional school shooting scenarios in a national survey in the United States (n = 900). This online survey will examine public perceptions toward police responses to school shootings. Specifically, the randomly assigned vignettes vary in (a) victim race/ethnicity, (b) shooting severity, (c) firearm type, (d) school type, (e) police response strategy, and (f) outcome of the incident. Survey findings describe variation in expectations of law enforcement responses and tactics for school shootings.

Authors

• Kaylin Coe, University of Cincinnati

• Cheryl Lero Jonson, Xavier University

• Ben Feldmeyer, University of Cincinnati