Racial tension, public mistrust, and policing: Insights from police leaders in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV)- a research note

Abstract

This paper presents preliminary insights from police leaders in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), a southwestern border region of the United States. Perceptions among minority police leaders with respect to minority-police interactions have received little attention. To better understand the perceptions of minority police leaders, this study focused on whether police leaders in a predominantly Hispanic region of the country perceive that racial tensions influence police-community interactions. Using a purposive sample of 29 police leaders, preliminary results suggest that recent high-profile incidents have had some impact on how officers do their jobs. Implications for public policy and suggestions for future studies are discussed.

Keywords:

• Hispanics
• minorities
• police leaders
• public mistrust
• racial tension

Acknowledgments

In addition to the editors and anonymous reviewers, I would like to thank Dr. Mark Dantzker (former colleague) and Dr. Yudu Li (current colleague) for their reviews and input that helped strengthen my manuscript. I recognize that your job is thankless but needed to help advance the literature in our field—thank you.

Disclosure statement

I have no conflicts of interests to disclose.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marika Dawkins-Cavazos

Marika Dawkins-Cavazos is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Her research interests include issues such as race and ethnicity, crime and justice in the Caribbean, comparative juvenile justice, policing, and delinquency prevention. She has published on both criminal and juvenile justice related issues.