Tag: Ferguson Effect
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Traffic Enforcement Dwindled in the Pandemic. In Many Places, It Hasn’t Come Back.
In the early days of the pandemic in 2020, traffic stops by the police plummeted around the country, as fewer cars were on the road and as agencies instructed officers to avoid nonessential contact with the public. But in the months and years that followed, a distinct pattern formed in many cities: The cars came…
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Police Use-of-Force Self-efficacy: An Antidote to the Ferguson Effect?
Abstract Research has consistently shown that officers’ perceptions of deteriorated relationships with the public are associated with physical and emotional disengagement with their work. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this “Ferguson Effect” has also contributed to reluctance to use necessary physical force in the course of their duties, leading to compromises for officer safety and public…
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What Really Happened in Ferguson, and What the Country Can Learn from It
The United States found itself in the center of a heated national debate on race, policing, and justice in 2014. The shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager, by a white police officer sparked outrage and protests, shedding the spotlight on Ferguson. Policing Ferguson, Policing America dives into the heart of this time, offering…
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High-speed Mobile Networks and Police Repression during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Nigeria
Purpose: Government repression against civilians while enforcing restrictive policies related to COVID-19 was widely reported in Africa. At the same time, many have claimed that high-speed mobile data and social media provide an accountability mechanism that may constrain police abuses. This study focused on Nigeria to examine (1) the effect of COVID-19 lockdowns on police…
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Is it possible to find a balance between reducing unnecessary traffic stops and ensuring public safety through traffic enforcement?
American roads have become deadlier than before the pandemic, and many are attributing this to a decrease in policing after the George Floyd protests of 2020. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the fatality rate, which is deaths per million miles traveled, is about 18% higher than in 2019. In contrast, other Western…
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Is more money the solution to the police staffing crisis?
Police departments across the United States are experiencing chronic understaffing as a result of retirements, resignations, and a reduction in hires. Some people have suggested that solving the police staffing crisis, especially in urban areas, requires more spending. But the United States already spends more money than other nations, with worse outcomes.
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‘Vicious cycle’: Inside the police recruiting crunch with resignations on the rise
Police departments across the country are facing a “vicious cycle” of retirements, resignations, and fewer hires… Full story: ‘Vicious cycle’: Inside the police recruiting crunch with resignations on the rise
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Demonstrations, Demoralization, and De-policing
Research SummaryThis study examined relationships between public antipathy toward the police, demoralization, and de-policing using pooled time-series cross sections of 18,413 surveys from law enforcement officers in 87 U.S. agencies both before and after Ferguson and contemporaneous demonstrations. The results do not provide strong support for Ferguson Effects. Post-Ferguson changes to job satisfaction, burnout, and…
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Feeling Blue: Officer Perceptions of Public Antipathy Predict Police Occupational Norms
Is police culture influenced by public opinion?