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Cop Culture and Group-focused Enmity in the Police Force

Thu, September 4, 4:00 to 5:15pm, Communications Building (CN), CN 2105

Abstract

The concept of ‚cop culture‘ has been examined in numerous studies since the 1960s - initially focusing primarily on the United States. With regard to Germany, Gutschmidt and Vera (2021) empirically identified four dimensions of cop culture: 1) conservative-male culture, 2) institutional patriotism culture, 3) team culture, and 4) diligence culture. While the latter characterizes administrative units, conservative-male and team-oriented values dominate in operational units. Previous research has shown that the presence of violence in police routines, in particular the perception of the possibility of encountering violence, has a strong influence on the development of cop culture.
Based on quantitative self-report data from members of the Hamburg Police (Germany, n =954), the present study examines how cop culture and its four subdimensions are associated with political attitudes and values, in particular with hostile attitudes towards certain minority groups (group-focused enmity, GFE). The survey data was collected in 2024 as part of the project „Democracy-Related Attitudes and Values in Hamburg Police Forces“ (DeWePol).
While Gutschmid and Vera did not find a relationship between group-focused enmity and cop culture in their managerial population, our findings based on a sample of the Hamburg police force reveal a significant relationship between cop culture (and/or its subdimensions) and various attitudes and values, such as hostility towards minorities, social dominance orientation, conspiracy beliefs / populism, and authoritarianism. Furthermore, our analyses demonstrate that ‘group identity’ in the police is a relevant factor associated with anti-democratic attitudes.

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