Being the Focus of Suspicion

• In Event: Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy in Neighborhoods (II)

Abstract

Police departments increasingly utilize a strategy of widespread street stops. These stops are designed to communicate to people on the street that they can and will be stopped and therefore should not carry guns and drugs. But, how does it influence people psychologically when they feel that they are suspected of illegal activity by the police? This paper reports upon the impact of such feelings. Two models of policing are contrasted. One is built around the psychology of suspiciousness. It focuses upon the consequences of creating the perception that people on the street are suspected of criminal activity. The other is based upon building trust within the public. The consequences of these two models are compared using a random sample of Americans, interviewed about their views about and experiences with the police. The results suggest that building trust is a better model for promoting compliance and cooperation than one based upon suspicion.

Authors

• Jon P. Jackson, London School of Economics

• Tom Tyler, Yale University