Balancing Order and Rights: The RDFC Framework for Protest Policing Legitimacy

• In Event: Protest, Policing, and Public Narratives

Abstract

Protests are essential expressions of democratic engagement, allowing individuals and marginalized groups to air grievances, promote awareness, and influence policy. Yet, police face the quandary of maintaining public safety while also being tasked with facilitating First Amendment rights. This study examines public perceptions of protest policing using the RDFC Interaction Model, which states that police are viewed as having more legitimacy when they are reasonable, disarming, focused, and consistent in their actions. While research on police legitimacy is extensive, few studies have applied structured frameworks specifically to protest contexts. Through a national survey using a quasi-representative sample, this study aims to assess how various populations evaluate police actions during demonstrations across the four RDFC dimensions. This study investigates how demographic factors, prior protest experiences, and media consumption patterns influence RDFC assessments. This research attempts to validate the RDFC Interaction Model and provides interesting implications for protest policing and police legitimacy research.

Authors

• Logan P. Kennedy, East Carolina University

• Stacey L. Langdon, Institute for Intergovernmental Research