Evaluating Support for Greater Public Involvement in Policing

• In Event: Perceptions of Criminal Justice Policy and Practice

Abstract

Over the past decade, a growing body of research has examined public willingness to empower police. Broadly, empowerment refers to police having much discretion and autonomy in how they function. Recent public discourse on policing has contained calls for more public involvement and input into how law enforcement agencies operate. These calls are consistent with the notion of disempowering, or reducing the autonomy of, police. Drawing from prior research on willingness to empower police, and using national data from 600 American adults, the current study evaluates a) the psychometric properties of a scale measuring support for greater public involvement and input in policing, and b) correlates of this support.

Authors

• Richard Moule, Jr., University of South Florida

• Megan M. Parry, University of Rhode Island