Del Pozo Brandon, Rouhani Saba, Clark M H, Atkins Danielle, Andraka-Christou Barbara, Martins Kaitlin F
Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Department of Epidemiology, School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, New York, USA.
Policing. 2024 Oct 21;47(5):846-860. doi: 10.1108/pijpsm-12-2023-0171. Epub 2024 Aug 14.
PURPOSE –: The 2020 murder of George Floyd resulted in challenges to policing in the United States of America, but little is known about how police chiefs perceive them. At the same time, chiefs of police wield great influence over public perceptions of crime and disorder, the state of their profession, the laws and policies that govern the conduct of police officers and municipal public safety budgets. It is therefore critical to understand how police perceive the changes to their profession post-Floyd.
DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH –: This study surveyed a randomly selected national sample of 276 municipal chiefs of police. Items probed resignations, recruitment, efforts to defund departments, community support, officer morale, suspects' likelihood of obeying lawful orders and career risks that could inhibit proactive police work. It examined associations between perceptions and Census Bureau region, length of tenure as chief, size of police department, population served and the urban or rural designation of the jurisdiction.
FINDINGS –: Chiefs overwhelmingly reported recruiting qualified candidates had become much harder, and the present risks of proactive police work encourage inaction. Chiefs of agencies in the Northeast perceived more challenges than those in the South. Respondents with more years of experience were less likely to perceive the current situation as dire. Approximately 13.5% reported an attempt to defund their department, 56.8% of which yielded some success. Our study suggests an increase in the number and scope of challenges perceived by chiefs of police. Results vary by region and police chief years of experience.
ORIGINALITY/VALUE –: This study provides researchers and practitioners with the perspectives of chiefs about the post-Floyd era that influence their decisions, policies and initiatives.
2020年乔治·弗洛伊德被谋杀事件给美国的治安工作带来了挑战，但对于警察局长们如何看待这些挑战却知之甚少。与此同时，警察局长们对公众对犯罪和混乱的认知、他们所在行业的状况、管理警察行为的法律和政策以及市政公共安全预算有着巨大影响。因此，了解警察如何看待弗洛伊德事件后其职业的变化至关重要。
设计/方法/途径：本研究对随机抽取的276名市警察局长进行了全国性调查。调查项目涉及辞职、招募、削减部门资金的努力、社区支持、警察士气、嫌疑人服从合法命令的可能性以及可能阻碍积极警务工作的职业风险。研究考察了这些认知与人口普查局区域、担任局长的任期长度、警察局规模、服务人口以及辖区的城乡划分之间的关联。
警察局长们压倒性地表示，招募合格候选人变得困难得多，当前积极警务工作的风险导致不作为。东北地区的警察局长比南部地区的局长感受到更多挑战。经验更丰富的受访者不太可能认为当前形势严峻。约13.5%的人报告称其部门曾试图削减资金，其中56.8%取得了一定成功。我们的研究表明，警察局长们感受到的挑战数量和范围有所增加。结果因地区和警察局长的经验年限而异。
原创性/价值：本研究为研究人员和从业者提供了警察局长们对弗洛伊德后时代的看法，这些看法会影响他们的决策、政策和举措。
