We examine how individual perceptions of procedural justice and bounded authority are related to evaluations of video-recorded police encounters. We also assess whether pre-existing perceptions of police legitimacy are related to these evaluations. A sample of 830 adults, recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, evaluated a staged routine traffic stop. People who perceived higher procedural justice and bounded authority in the officer’s behavior were more likely to view him as legitimate. Procedural justice and bounded authority partially mediated the effects of pre-existing legitimacy perceptions on encounter-specific legitimacy. People with higher general legitimacy perceptions tended to view the officer’s behavior as procedurally just and respectful of the boundaries of his authority. This study demonstrates that global legitimacy perceptions serve as cognitive filters, guiding how individuals interpret police behavior in specific, ambiguous encounters. Results underscore the importance of normatively appropriate officer behavior and existing legitimacy perceptions in shaping evaluations of video-recorded police encounters.
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