Diverse Views: How Race and Various Factors Shape Perceptions of Police Officers

The many nations of our world greatly vary in terms of ideologies, systems, and culture, but they all share a common thread: the presence of law enforcement. This presence is meant to induce a feeling of trust and safety within citizens, but this standard is often not met due to racial disparities existing in the system. According to the Pew Research Center (2020), nearly 65% of black adults say that they have been in situations in which they have been seen as ‘suspicious’ due to their race or ethnicity. The mistrust held toward the police can lead to officers being unable to complete their duties, which poses a risk to citizens’ safety and lives. This danger prompts the consideration of the factors that lead to feelings of doubt toward police officers. It is evident that race significantly influences minority race’s perception of police officers, and is caused by factors such as media representation, police militarization, and racial profiling. 

One of the most significant factors that skews the way a specific race views police officers is the media. The use of the media to bring awareness to racism in the criminal justice system can aid in causing individuals to develop a negative opinion of police officers. Angus Clark, a professor of criminology conducted research with Carter Sherman and Mary Heitzeg, professors of psychiatry, on attitudes about police and race in 2020-2021. They stated, “The dissemination of the video documenting the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis on social and broadcast media spurred what became the largest mass demonstrations in American history in the summer of 2020,” (Vitro, Clark, Sherman, Heitzeg, & Hicks, 2022). The release of this video changed people’s view of the police to be negative in light of the newly uncovered, but always existing, racial bias. A popular motto of these protests was “defund the police” which was a motion to cut off funding for the police completely and re-allocate them to non-policing forms of public safety. This is a prime example of how public opinion towards the police became negative following the viral media related to George Floyd’s 

death. In addition to this evidence, a survey was conducted by the Pew Research Center (2020) on the percentage of Americans who support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, and their race. It was concluded that 67% of all adults said that they support the BLM movement, but it resonated the strongest within the African American community with 86% of black Americans saying they support the movement. Another survey was conducted by the Pew Research Center (2023) three years later that shows the percentage of American adults who support the movement dropped to 51%, and the amount of African Americans who support the movement dropped slightly to 81%. In 2020, the BLM movement had a large presence on social media, which was the cause of its large number of supporters. Three years later, however, the movement was no longer as popular on social media, leading to the number of supporters dropping 16%. The African American community’s opinions were the most affected by BLM’s growing social media presence, which is why the amount of African American supporters only dropped 5% in the three years. It is evident that the media plays a pivotal role in shaping individual’s perspectives on the police, and it is important to recognize how race further solidifies this perspective. 

Another influential factor in shaping people of a certain race’s perception of police is police brutality. Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is highly dangerous, and accounts for approximately 600 deaths per year ("U.S. Data on Police Shootings and Violence," n.d.). Incidents of police brutality often play a role in the way people perceive police officers. Racial bias in police officers often targets African Americans and people of Hispanic descent. Research done by John F. Klein, a professor at Simon Fraser University, Jim R. Webb, and J.E DiSanto, professors at the University of Calgary, explored how experiences with police officers aid in shaping attitudes toward police (Klein, Webb, & DiSanto, 1978). They concluded that the level 

of appropriateness that an individual perceives of their experience with police officers shapes their general attitude towards law enforcement officers. If a person feels as though a police officer is being rude, violent, or biased, they are more likely to have a negative attitude regarding police officers. Amanda Graham, with the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Georgia Southern University, states, “Hispanics’ worry about police brutality more closely reflects those of Blacks at more than four times that of Whites, suggesting a racial/ethnic divide,” (Graham et al., 2020). Individuals of African American and Hispanic descent have a more likely chance of encountering police brutality than others, meaning they are also more susceptible to forming a negative attitude toward police officers. Cassandra D. Chaney, a Professor in Child and Family Studies at Louisiana State University conducted research with Ray V. Robertson, an associate professor of sociology at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, on the four main ways individuals perceive police officers. Concerning viewing law enforcement as agents of brutality, Chaney and Robertson state, “Sixteen individuals (0.44 %) used words and/or phrases that directly or indirectly related to witnessing acts of brutality perpetrated by one or more members of law enforcement against citizens. A closer examination of the responses related to suspicion regarding law enforcement…” (Chaney & Robertson, 2013). The individuals’ responses showed a correlation between witnessing police brutality and forming a suspicion of law enforcement. Police brutality poses a large threat to African Americans and Hispanics and causes them to be wary of holding a positive attitude toward law enforcement officers. 

The third and final factor that impacts how individuals of minority races perceive police is systematic and historical racism. This can often be found in the criminal justice system, and cause individuals to develop a negative attitude toward all government officials. One example of 

systematic racism causing frustration with the American government can be seen in Eloise Cobell and her fight for justice for Blackfeet Indians. Cobell filed a class action lawsuit that challenged the mismanagement of trust funds belonging to the Native Americans of the Blackfoot Nation. Cobell was constantly being discouraged by lawyers and other government officials who did not take her lawsuit seriously. One day, Cobell said to a lawyer from the Department of Interior, Justice, and Treasury, “You ought to be ashamed of yourself, you have got to understand that every day Indian people are dying in Indian communities without the money that they need for the basics of life, and you ought to be ashamed of yourself,” (Janko, 2013). Eloise Cobell’s frustration can be conveyed through this quote. This displays how being a witness to or experiencing systematic racism can completely alter an individual’s perception of the justice system. It ignited feelings of anger, frustration, and injustice for Cobell, which caused her to dedicate her life to getting the Blackfeet Indians their rightful money. Another example of systematic racism can be seen through unfair or unnecessary police stops. A study conducted by three professors of psychology, Aline Ara Santos Carvalho, Táhcita Medrado Mizael, and Angelo A. Sampaio, explored racial prejudice and police stops. Their research shows that African American and Hispanic individuals are more likely to be unnecessarily stopped by officers. The study also explored how a 19-year-old black man and an 18-year-old Latino man felt when they were racially targeted and stopped. Based on the findings, it states, “In addition to the emotional responses often referred to as fear and nervousness in the presence of police officers, helplessness is also a common outcome…” (Carvalho, Mizael, & Sampaio, 2021). The systematic racism among police officers is presented as racial profiling in this situation and caused feelings of unrest for those targeted. This is a largely significant problem because police officers are meant to keep citizens safe, but instead are inducing fear within minority races. 

Historical context is also a factor in how certain races perceive law enforcement officers, one that greatly affects African Americans. The past experiences African Americans had with law enforcement officers can cause them to develop a wariness towards officers. This can be seen through a piece of art called “Confrontation On The Bridge’’ by Jacob Lawrence. “Confrontation on The Bridge” depicts the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama in 1965. A small, yet significant, part of this picture is the wolf that is facing a group of people and appears to be intimidating them, which is symbolic of police officers. The police being drawn as a wolf speaks volumes about how people of color perceived law enforcement officers. They viewed them as something to be feared, instead of the officials that were meant to protect them. The painting is a display of the fear African Americans had towards police officers as a result of their past experiences, as well as their historical context of having to fight for basic human rights. It is crucial to recognize that understanding the context of historical racism and the presence of systematic racism both shape the minority race’s perception of police officers. 

Despite a great deal of evidence supporting the relationship between race and attitude toward police, some argue that opinions cannot be generalized for an entire race. It can be argued that individual experience takes on a larger role in shaping attitudes towards police. Research was conducted on race and experiences with police by John F. Klein, Jim R. Webb, and J.E. DiSanto, who stated, “The data demonstrate that one's attitude toward the police is based upon the degree of appropriateness of the police officer's interpersonal effectiveness rather than the assertion of conflict theorists that there are relatively strong relationships between attitude toward the police and perception of alienation or powerlessness and disadvantaged social position,” (Klein, Webb, & DiSanto, 1978). This argues that interpersonal encounters with the police are more impactful than a disadvantaged social position such as race. But, there is very 

little research that supports this fact in comparison to the research that supports race playing the prime role in shaping perception. While individual experiences do affect attitude towards police officers, it is important to take into consideration those who have not had direct contact with police officers. Race can shape opinion for everyone, regardless of whether or not they have had direct encounters with officers. In addition, people of color generally have worse individual experiences with the police, which proves that race is again a recurring theme. While there is a relationship between individual experience and shaping perceptions, the relationship between race and the perception of police officers is much stronger. 

It should be noted that there are limitations to the research on the relationship between race and perception of police officers. One of these limitations is the fact that Researchers should consider factors beyond just demographics, such as individual experiences and societal influences. Charles W. Peek and George D. Lowe, professors at Texas Tech University, wrote a paper with Jon P. Alston, a professor at Texas A&M University on how demographics are just one of the factors that go into shaping opinions. Their paper states, “More importantly, researchers trying to unravel the relationship between race and sentiment toward police need to consider variables other than the standard social-demographic variety, which specify the conditions under which this relationship is strongest and weakest,” (Peek, Lowe, & Alston, 1981). The research being conducted on race and attitude towards police officers is not straightforward, and if factors other than race/demographics are not considered, the argument being made will be weak and uncredible. Another limitation of this research is the distinction between neighborhood police and police in general. Amie M. Shuck and Dennis P. Rosenbaum, professors of Criminology at the University of Illinois Chicago, stated, “In other words, it appears that residents do make distinctions between "the police" and "the police in my 

neighborhood,” (Schuck & Rosenbaum, 2005). If this condition was no longer ignored, the research on the relationship between race and attitude toward police would be much more accurate. The final limitation of this research is bias from individuals who are being interviewed. They may feel societal pressures, or there could be a sample bias within the selection of people. 

Research shows that only 56% of Black Adults and 64% of Hispanic Adults say they feel confident in their local police force in comparison to the 74% of White Americans that do feel confident. (Brown & Lloyd, 2023). These numbers are devastating for people of color living in America. Police officers are meant to maintain safety and protect citizens, but many hold racial bias against people of color, causing individuals to feel unsafe. The effects of individuals having a negative view of police officers is detrimental to a community. Proper policing requires public access, trust, and cooperation, which cannot be done while people’s perceptions of police officers are being skewed each day. Race plays a large role in impacting public opinion on police officers, and is caused by media portrayal, police brutality, and systematic racism. 

References 

Brown, M., & Lloyd, C. (2023, September 18). Black Americans Less Confident, Satisfied With Local Police. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/511064/black-americans-less-confident-satisfied-local-police.aspx#:~:text=About%20seven%20in%2010%20U.S.,and%20Hispanic%20Americans%20(64%25). 

Carvalho, A. A. S., Mizael, T. M., & Sampaio, A. A. S. (2021). Racial Prejudice and Police Stops: A Systematic Review of the Empirical Literature. Behavior analysis in practice, 15(4), 1213–1220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-021-00578-4 

Chaney, C., & Robertson, R. V. (2013). Racism and police brutality in america. Journal of African American Studies, 17(4), 480-505. 

Horowitz, J. M. (2023, June 14). Support for the black lives matter movement has dropped considerably from its peak in 2020. Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/06/14/support-for-the-black-lives-matter-movement-has-dropped-considerably-from-its-peak-in-2020/ 

Janko, M. (n.d.). Elouise Cobell: A Small Measure of Justice. American Indian Magazine, 14 No. 2(Summer 2013). 

Klein, J. F., Webb, J. R., & DiSanto, J. E. (1978). Experience with the police and attitude towards the police. The Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers Canadiens De Sociologie, 3(4), 441-456. https://doi.org/10.2307/3339776 

Klein, J. F., Webb, J. R., & DiSanto, J. E. (1978). Experience with the police and attitude towards the police. The Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers Canadiens De Sociologie, 3(4), 441-456. https://doi.org/10.2307/3339776 

Lawrence, J. (1974). Confrontation on the Bridge. 

Parker, K., Horowitz, J. M., & Anderson, M. (2020, June 12). Amid Protests, Majorities Across Racial and Ethnic Groups Express Support for the Black Lives Matter Movement. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/06/12/amid-protests-majorities-across-racial-and-ethnic-groups-express-support-for-the-black-lives-matter-movement/ 

Peek, C. W., Lowe, G. D., & Alston, J. P. (1981). Race and attitudes toward local police: Another look. Journal of Black Studies, 11(3), 361-374. 

Schuck, A. M., & Rosenbaum, D. P. (2005). Global and neighborhood attitudes toward the police: Differentiation by race, ethnicity and type of contact. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 21(4), 391-418. 

Vitro, C., Clark, D. A., Sherman, C., Heitzeg, M. M., & Hicks, B. M. (2022). Attitudes about police and race in the United States 2020-2021: Mean-level trends and associations with political attitudes, psychiatric problems, and COVID-19 outcomes. PloS one, 17(7), e0271954. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271954