Police Resentment of the Upper Class

Abstract

Social class, or socioeconomic status, is an important determinant of individual behavior. Criminologists have generally examined the variable in three ways: social class of the police, reflection of middle class values in the law, and the clash between the values behind the law and values held by the lower class. This paper enters a new area, attempting to determine police perceptions of the upper class and their perception of how members of this. class are treated by the criminal justice system.

Fifty-four officers with two years of police experience in a large Southern city completed a detailed questionnaire to assess their attitudes toward the upper class. They were also asked to categorize themselves as members of the lower, middle or upper class. Findings indicate that police officers see the wealthy as possessing different values and being accorded a privileged status by the criminal justice system, resulting in some resentment on the part of the police. Also, a number of statistically significant findings result when self-perceived class background of the officers is cross-tabulated with their perceptions of the behavior and attitudes of the wealthy.