Police and their perceived image: how community influence officers’ job satisfaction

Abstract

This study examines how police believe they are perceived by the public and how the perceived image affects the officers’ job satisfaction. The study population in this research was derived from sworn police officers from a large metropolitan police agency in the Midwest, USA. Data were collected using a self‐administered survey questionnaire. It was found that overall police officers believe they are perceived less favorably by the community. It was also found that officers’ perceived image in most non‐enforcement situations was significantly related to their job satisfaction. Several policy implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Keywords:

• perception
• job satisfaction
• perceived image
• police
• community
• non‐enforcement situations