Law enforcement is a critical aspect of ensuring safety in communities. However, unjustified harm has been associated with law enforcement throughout history, resulting in tension between police and communities.
Fear of unjustified police harm remains prevalent, especially in minoritized communities. However, research on this fear has not typically focused on the importance of psychology when it comes to understanding community perceptions of law enforcement.
New research from Michigan State University’s School of Criminal Justice sought to understand some of the explanations for fear of unjustified police harm. Published in the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, the research suggests that the perceived likelihood and severity of an incident explain why some people fear law enforcement.
“We pursued this project in hopes of contributing to the knowledge base regarding fear of police,” said Keara Werth, lead investigator on the project and doctoral student at the MSU School of Criminal Justice.
“By seeking to understand the reasons behind differences in fear of the police, we hope our findings will be used to increase the quality of relationships between police and the community members they serve.”
Background and method
Conversations about police staffing and training are important for improving trust, but perceptions rooted in fear are hard to change, especially when communities have experienced unjustified harm.
Existing research has highlighted demographic differences surrounding fear. For example, Black/African American individuals typically report the greatest fear of being killed by law enforcement. Regarding political beliefs, pro-police attitudes are usually much higher among Republicans compared to Democrats.
Working with Associate Professor Joe Hamm, the research team sought to develop a psychological understanding of fear of crime through three key factors: control, likelihood and severity of the fear of crime. They created a survey to measure these three factors and collected data from participants who have both racial and political differences.
Findings and results
They found that fearful participants tended to believe that it was likely that an officer would harm them and that, if they did, the harm would be severe.
The study did not find a strong link between fear and a person’s sense of control over these situations. That may suggest people feel they have little influence over encounters involving police force, or that “control” is difficult to define in these situations. The researchers say more work is needed to better understand and measure how people perceive control during police interactions.
Researchers also examined whether these patterns differed across racial and ethnic groups. While the factors linked to fear were somewhat stronger among white participants than other groups, the overall findings were similar: Regardless of background, people tended to feel fear for many of the same underlying reasons, especially how likely or severe they believed unjustified police harm could be.
Implications and actions
The findings highlight the need to address police violence by better preparing officers to recognize and respond appropriately to threats, while limiting the use of more harmful tactics and weapons that can escalate encounters. The researchers note, however, that even if the actual risk and severity of police violence decrease, public perceptions and fears may take longer to change.
To strengthen relationships between the public and law enforcement, trust is key. Law enforcement must consistently demonstrate to the public — in word and action — that police can do their jobs appropriately and that they are serving and acting in the public’s best interest.
Additionally, the study suggests that people may not understand how they can establish meaningful control during interaction with law enforcement, therefore, it is important to create opportunities to expand the public’s understanding of strategies for de-escalating situations or lawfully avoiding unjustified police harm to further mitigate fear.
As police officers across the nation continue to face scrutiny for their role in escalating the severity of interactions with the public, it is essential that fear and other emotions are considered when developing methods and efforts for improving trust.
“Police and community relations have long been an important conversation, but there is a lot of attention being paid right now, especially to the expanding role of federal law enforcement in the day-to-day lives of people across our country,” Hamm said. “For many, that is — and should be — scary. There is an important balance to strike between protecting communities and motivating fear. It is important to focus attention on the efforts that are most likely to ensure that policing is both effective and appropriately bounded.”
