Public Servants or Soldiers? A Test of the Police-Military Equivalency Hypothesis

• In Event: Youth and Student Views of Justice

Abstract

During these times of escalating tensions between the police and the communities they serve, the news and social media have been full of images of police officers wearing military gear, armed with military weapons, and driving military vehicles. This study examines whether the blurred lines between police officers and soldiers have caused the public to begin to see police officers who work in urban areas as equivalent to soldiers in war zones. Using a sample of over 500 undergraduate college students, this study examines whether perceiving police officers to be equivalent to soldiers is related to holding negative attitudes toward the residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods, weaker support for increasing police accountability, and an opposition to groups which seek to increase police accountability.

Authors

• Omeed Ilchi, Westfield State University

• James Frank, University of Cincinnati