Factors That Influence Public Opinion of the Police

This NIJ Research for Practice examines the results of a study conducted in Los Angeles that measured residents' perceptions of police job approval and officer demeanor. The study found that police can improve public opinion by increasing their informal contacts with citizens. Such informal contacts as participating in community meetings, increasing visibility in neighborhoods, and talking with citizens had a positive impact on job approval ratings even when factors associated with lower approval ratings (e.g., residents' perceptions that their neighborhoods were crime ridden, dangerous, and disorderly) were present. Race and ethnicity did not play a factor in perceptions of police performance, but it did impact residents' assessment of officers' demeanor. The media were found to have little influence on public opinion of police.