Officer Race Versus Macro-Level Context: A Test of Competing Hypotheses About Black Citizens' Experiences With and Perceptions of Black Police Officers

    Authors

    R. K. Brunson;J. M. Gau

    Comments

    Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Crime Delinq.

    Keywords

    African Americans; Black citizens; Black police officers; ecology; policing; community accountability; RIGHTS CRIMINAL COMPLAINTS; NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT; MINORITY THREAT; SOCIAL ECOLOGY; URBAN AMERICA; CITY; CRIME; FORCE; WHITE; DETERMINANTS; Criminology & Penology

    Abstract

    It has been proposed that hiring more Black police officers is an effective way to alleviate long-standing tensions between police and African Americans because Black officers will connect with Black citizens and treat them well. This hypothesis, however, fails to account for the macro-level context of the troubled locations in which African Americans disproportionately reside and wherein police-minority citizen problems are deep seated. The present study examines two competing hypotheses concerning the influence ofofficer race relative to that of ecological context in shaping African Americans' experiences with and perceptions of local police. These hypotheses are testedusing in-depth interview data with Black residents of a majority-Black, high-crime, economically troubled city. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.

    Journal Title

    Crime & Delinquency

    Volume

    61

    Issue/Number

    2

    Publication Date

    1-1-2015

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    213

    Last Page

    242

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000349598900003

    ISSN

    0011-1287

    Share

    COinS