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                            Library & Multimedia
 Police Attitudes Toward Abuse of Authority: Findings From a National Study, Research in Brief
NCJ Number
              181312

Author(s)
          David  Weisburd;
                        Rosann  Greenspan;
                        Edwin E. Hamilton;
                        Hubert  Williams;
                        Kellie A. Bryant
Date Published

June 2000
Length
              15 pages
Publication Series
          NIJ Research in Brief
Annotation
              This Brief reports the findings of a nationwide survey of police officers’ views on the abuse of police authority.
Abstract
              The survey contacted 925 randomly selected officers from 121 departments. The majority of officers believed that: (1) It is unacceptable to use more force than legally allowable to control someone who physically assaults an officer; (2) Extreme cases of police abuse of authority occur infrequently; (3) Their departments take a “tough stand” on the issue of police abuse; (4) At times their fellow officers use more force than necessary when making an arrest; (5) It is not unusual for officers to ignore improper conduct by their fellow officers; (6) Training and education are effective ways to reduce police abuse; (7) A department’s chief and first-line supervisors can play an important role in preventing police from abusing authority; and (8) Community-oriented policing reduces or has no impact upon the potential for police abuse. In addition, race was a divisive issue for these officers. Black and nonblack officers had significantly different views about the effect of a citizen’s race and socioeconomic status on the likelihood of police abuse of authority and about the effect of community policing on the potential for abuse. Tables, notes, references
      
  
          Additional Details
Grant Number(s)
        97-CK-WX-0047


  
  
        
  Agencies
        NIJ


  
  
        
  Publication Type
        Report (Study/Research)
    
  
  
Date Published: June 1, 2000
    
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