Individuals’ Perceptions of Police Legitimacy in the State of Georgia: Procedural Justice and Obligations to Obey

• In Event: Perceptions of Police Across Local, State, and International Communities

Abstract

a) Objective: Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, police brutality against minorities has increased. Therefore, there is an urgent need to investigate public perception of police legitimacy which is the foundational principle of relations between police agencies and the communities. In this study we will answer the following research questions: What levels of racial disparities exist in individuals’ perceptions of police legitimacy; and what factors contribute to these racial disparities?
b) Data/Methods: Self-report survey data (n=479) were collected from residents of the State of Georgia using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform. The Multidimensional Police Legitimacy Scale (Tankebe et al., 2016) was used to measure individuals’ perceptions of police legitimacy.
c) Results: The findings from the preliminary analysis are mixed on racial disparities in public perception of police legitimacy and obligations to obey. Minorities in Georgia perceived significantly lower levels of police legitimacy than whites, but there is no racial differences in the measurement of normative obligation. Multivariate analysis will be used to investigate the factors contributing to racial disparities of police legitimacy and obligations to obey.
d) Conclusions/Implications: The results will be compared with previous studies to identify both consistencies and differences, and limitations of the study will be assessed.

Authors

• Gang Lee, Kennesaw State University

• Christoper Totten, Kennesaw State University