Crime reporting intentions have been associated with ratings of police legitimacy and effectiveness. Less is known about the role of personal encounters with police. We explore this issue by specifying associations between reporting intentions and type of contact (involuntary/voluntary), scope (cumulative/recent), and appraisal (respect/satisfaction with last encounter).
Methods:
This study draws on surveys of young adults in New York City (N = 508) and uses structural equation modeling to examine correlates of crime reporting intentions.
Results:
Respondents with more stops are less willing to report, and this effect is both direct and indirect, operating primarily via legitimacy. The association between reporting intentions and variety of voluntary contacts is direct and positive. Negative appraisals of recent stops are associated with lower reporting intentions but only indirectly; feelings of disrespect in recent stops are mediated by perceptions of legitimacy. Dissatisfaction with a recent voluntary contact is related to negative views of police effectiveness, but effectiveness does not shape reporting intentions. Instead, disrespectful voluntary contact has a direct negative relationship with reporting attitudes.
Conclusion:
The results underscore the importance of better-specifying contact with the police, as reporting intentions and related perceptions of law enforcement vary across experience and appraisal mechanisms.
AugustynMegan Bears. 2016. “Updating Perceptions of (in) Justice.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency53:255–86.
2.
BaumerEric P.LauritsenJanet L.. 2010. “Reporting Crime to the Police, 1973–2005: A Multivariate Analysis of Long-Term Trends in the National Crime Survey (NCS) and National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).” Criminology48:131–85.
3.
BellMonica C.2016. “Situational Trust: How Disadvantaged Mothers Reconceive Legal Cynicism.” Law & Society Review50: 314–47.
4.
BellMonica C.2017. “Police Reform and the Dismantling of Legal Estrangement.” Yale Law Journal126:2054–150.
5.
BergMark T.SlocumLee AnnLoeberRolf. 2013. “Illegal Behavior, Neighborhood Context, and Police Reporting by Victims of Violence.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency50:75–103.
6.
BradfordBenJacksonJonathanStankoElizabeth. 2009. “Contact and Confidence: Revisiting the Impact of Public Encounters with the Police.” Policing and Society19:20–46.
7.
BradfordBenJacksonJonathanHoughMike. 2013. “Police Legitimacy in Action: Lessons for Theory and Practice.” Pp. 551–70 in The Oxford Handbook of Police and Policing, edited by ReisigMichaelKaneRobert. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
8.
BradfordBenHohlKatrinJacksonJonathanMacQueenSarah. 2015. “Obeying the Rules of the Road: Procedural Justice, Social Identity, and Normative Compliance.” Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice31:171–91.
9.
BradfordBenMurphyKristinaJacksonJonathan. 2014. Officers as Mirrors: Policing, Procedural Justice, and the (Re)Production of Social Identity. British Journal of Criminology54:527–50.
10.
BrunsonRodney K.MillerJody. 2006. “Gender, Race, and Urban Policing: The Experience of African American youths.” Gender and Society20:531–52.
11.
CarrPatrick J.NapolitanoLauraKeatingJessica. 2007. “We Never Call the Cops and Here Is Why: A Qualitative Examination of Legal Cynicism in three Philadelphia Neighborhoods.” Criminology45:445–80.
12.
Clampet-LundquistSusanCarrPatrick J.KefalasMaria J.. 2015. “The Sliding Scale of Snitching: A Qualitative Examination of Snitching in three Philadelphia Communities.” Sociological Forum30:265–85.
13.
DavisRob C.HendersonNicole J.. 2003. “Willingness to Report Crimes: The Role of Ethnic Group Membership and Community Efficacy.” Crime and Delinquency49:564–80.
14.
FaganJeffreyTylerTom R.MearesTracey L.. 2016. “Street Stops and Police Legitimacy in New York.” Pp. 203–31, in Comparing the Democratic Governance of Police Intelligence: New Models of Participation and Expertise in the United States and Europe, edited by RossJ. E.DelpeuchT.. Glos, England: Edward Elgar.
15.
FassinDidier. 2015. “Maintaining Order. The Moral Justifications for Police Practices.” Pp. 93–116 in At the Hearth of the State. The Moral World of Institutions, edited by FassinDidier. London, England: Pluto Press.
16.
FineAdamCavanaghCaitlinDonleySachikoFrickPaul J.SteinbergLaurenceCauffmanElizabeth. 2017. “Is the Effect of Justice System Attitudes on Recidivism Stable after Youths’ First Arrest? Race and Legal Socialization among First-time Youth Offenders.” Law and Human Behavior41:146–58.
17.
FratelloJenniferRengifoAndres F.TroneJennifer. 2013. Coming of Age with Stop and Frisk: Experiences, Self-perceptions, and Public Safety Implications. New York: Vera Institute of Justice.
18.
GauJacinta M.2014. “Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy: A Test of Measurement and Structure.” American Journal of Criminal Justice39:187–205.
19.
GelmanAndrewFaganJeffreyKissAlex. 2007. An Analysis of the New York City Police Department’s “Stop-and-Frisk” Policy in the Context of Claims of Racial Bias. Journal of the American Statistical Association102:813–823.
20.
HickmanLaura J.SimpsonSally S.. 2003. “Fair Treatment or Preferred Outcome? The Impact of Police Behavior on Victim Reports of Domestic Violence Incidents.” Law & Society Review37:607–634.
21.
HindsLyn. 2009. “Youth, Police Legitimacy and Informal Contact.” Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology24:10–21.
22.
JacksonJonathanBradfordBenHoughMikeMyhillAndyQuintonPaulTylerTom R.. 2012. “Why do People Comply with the Law? Legitimacy and the Influence of Legal Institutions.” British Journal of Criminology52:1051–71.
23.
KhondakerMahfuzulWuYuningLambertEric G.. 2017. “Bangladeshi Immigrants’ Willingness to Report Crime in New York City.” Policing and Society27:188–204.
24.
LangtonLynnDuroseMatthew. 2013. Police Behavior During Traffic and Street Stops, 2011. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
LumCynthiaNaginDaniel S.. 2017. “Reinventing American Policing.” Crime and Justice46:339–93.
27.
MacQueenSarahBradfordBen. 2015. “Enhancing Public Trust and Police Legitimacy during Road Traffic Encounters: Results from a Randomised Controlled Trial in Scotland.” Journal of Experimental Criminology11:419–43.
28.
MaguireEdward R.LowreyBelen V.JohnsonDevon. 2017. “Evaluating the Relative Impact of Positive and Negative Encounters with Police: A Randomized Experiment.” Journal of Experimental Criminology13:367–91.
29.
MaxfieldMichael G.1988. “The London Metropolitan Police and Their Clients: Victim and Suspect Attitudes.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency25:188–206.
30.
MazerolleLorraineBennettSarahDavisJacquelineSargeantEliseManningMatthew. 2013a. Legitimacy in Policing: A Systematic Review. Oslo, Norway: Campbell Systematic Reviews.
31.
MazerolleLorraineAntrobusEmmaBennettSarahTylerTom R.. 2013b. “Shaping Citizen Perceptions of Police Legitimacy: A Randomized Field Trial of Procedural Justice.” Criminology51:33–63.
32.
MurphyKristina. 2009. “Public Satisfaction with Police: The Importance of Procedural Justice and Police Performance in Police-Citizen Encounters.” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology42:159–178.
33.
MurphyKristinaCherneyAdrian. 2011. “Understanding Cooperation with Police in a Diverse Society.” British Journal of Criminology52:181–201.
34.
MurphyKristinaHindsLynFlemingJenny. 2008. “Encouraging Public Cooperation and Support for the Police.” Policing and Society18:136–55.
35.
PryceDaniel K.JohnsonDevonMaguireEdward R.. 2017. “Procedural Justice, Obligation to Obey, and Cooperation with Police in a Sample of Ghanaian Immigrants.” Criminal Justice and Behavior44:733–55.
36.
ReissAlbert J.1971. The Police and the Public. New Haven: Yale University Press.
37.
RengifoAndres F.PaterMorganVelazquezBrenda. 2017. “Crime, Cops, and Context: Risk and Risk-management strategies among Black and Latino Youth in New York City.” Criminal Justice and Behavior44:452–71.
38.
RengifoAndres F.PaterMorgan. 2017. “Close call: Race and Gender in Encounters with the Police by Black and Latino/a Youth.” Sociological Inquiry87:337–61.
39.
RidgewayGreg. 2007. Analysis of Racial Disparities in the New York Police Department's Stop, Question, and Frisk Practices. Santa Monica: RAND Corporation.
40.
RiosVictor M.2011. Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys. New York: NYU Press.
41.
RosenbaumDennis P.SchuckAmie M.CostelloSandra K.HawkinsDarnell F.RingMarianne K.. 2005. “Attitudes toward the police: The Effects of Direct and Vicarious Experience.” Police Quarterly8:343–65.
42.
RosenfeldRichardJacobsBruce A.WrightRichard. 2003. “Snitching and the Code of the Street.” British Journal of Criminology43:291–309.
43.
SahinNusretBragaAnthony A.ApelRobertBrunsonRodney K.. 2017. “The Impact of Procedurally-just Policing on Citizen Perceptions of Police during Traffic Stops: The Adana Randomized Controlled Trial.” Journal of Quantitative Criminology33:701–26.
44.
SchuckAmie M.RosenbaumDennis P.. 2005. “Global and Neighborhood Attitudes toward the Police: Differentiation by Race, Ethnicity and Type of Contact.” Journal of Quantitative Criminology21:391–418.
45.
SkoganWesley G.2005. “Citizen Satisfaction with Police Encounters.” Police Quarterly8:298–321.
46.
SkoganWesley G.2006. “Asymmetry in the Impact of Encounters with Police.” Policing and Society16:99–126.
47.
SkoganWesley G.2012. “Assessing Asymmetry: The Life Course of a Research Project.” Policing and Society22:270–79.
48.
SlocumLee A.2018. “The Effect of Prior Police Contact on Victimization Reporting: Results from the Police–Public Contact and National Crime Victimization Surveys.” Journal of Quantitative Criminology34:535–89.
SunshineJasonTylerTom R.. 2003. “The Role of Procedural Justice and Legitimacy in Shaping Public Support for Policing.” Law and Society Review37:513–48.
51.
TankebeJustice. 2009. “Public Cooperation with the Police in Ghana: Does Procedural Fairness Matter?” Criminology47:1265–93.
52.
TankebeJustice. 2013. “Viewing Things Differently: The Dimensions of Public Perceptions of Police Legitimacy.” Criminology51:103–35.
53.
TrinknerRickJacksonJonathanTylerTom R.. 2018. “Bounded Authority: Expanding “Appropriate” Police Behavior beyond Procedural Justice.” Law & Human Behavior42:280–93.
54.
TylerTom R.FaganJeffrey. 2008. “Legitimacy and Cooperation: Why Do People Help the Police Fight Crime in their Communities?” Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law6:231–75.
55.
TylerTom R.FaganJeffreyGellerAmanda. 2014. “Street Stops and Police Legitimacy: Teachable Moments in Young Urban Men’s Legal Socialization.” Journal of Empirical Legal Studies11:751–85.
56.
TylerTom R.FolgerRobert. 1980. “Distributional and Procedural Aspects of Satisfaction with Citizen-Police Encounters.” Basic and Applied Social Psychology1:281–92.
57.
TylerTom R.HuoYuen. 2002. Trust in the Law: Encouraging Public Cooperation with the Police and Courts Through. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
58.
VikiG. TendayiCulmerMichelle J.EllerAnjaAbramsDominic. 2006. “Race and Willingness to Cooperate with the Police: The Roles of Quality of Contact, Attitudes towards the Behaviour and Subjective Norms.” British Journal of Social Psychology45:285–302.
59.
WellsWilliam. 2007. “Type of Contact and Evaluations of Police Officers: The Effects of Procedural Justice across Three Types of Police–Citizen Contacts.” Journal of Criminal Justice35:612–21.
60.
XieMinLauritsenJanet L.. 2012. “Racial Context and Crime Reporting: A Test of Black’s Stratification Hypothesis.” Journal of Quantitative Criminology28:265–93.
61.
XieMinPogarskyGregLynchJames P.McDowallDavid. 2006. “Prior Police Contact and Subsequent Victim Reporting: Results from the NCVS.” Justice Quarterly23:481–501.
