Police recruit attitudes toward the use of unnecessary force

Abstract

This study examined the attitudes of police recruits toward the use of unnecessary force. Police recruits from a single regional police academy served as the population for this study. They were provided a survey on the first day of academy training; a vignettes research design was used to measure their view of the use of unnecessary force by another officer and their likelihood of reporting such behavior. The type of unnecessary force plays a role in how the recruits view its use. The use of unnecessary physical force was unacceptable, but verbal force was acceptable. If the suspect flees from the officer, or if the suspect is an auto thief, unnecessary force is acceptable. Similarly, the type of unnecessary force that is used, and the circumstances of its use, influences if the respondents are likely to report the unnecessary force to a supervisor. Older recruits and those with higher levels of education were negatively related to slapping a suspect. Conversely, recruits seem to carry into the academy a ‘code of secrecy’ that developed naturally prior to any policing experiences. Methods for strengthening the recruit’s disinclination to accept the use of force are discussed, as are the difficulties in changing a code of secrecy that already exists.

Keywords:

• police recruits
• use of force
• policing attitudes

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank J.J. Sobol and S.P. Varano for assistance in the survey instrument, and S. Marlon Gayadeen for his helpful comments on the manuscript.