Do Police Officers Think the Media is Influencing the Public's View of Their Role?

Do Police Officers Think the Media is Influencing the Public's View of Their Role?
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Law enforcement has been subject to many critics worldwide, which can be attributed to the increasing number of officers involved in misconduct, mostly racial maltreatment dating back to the Jim Crow era. Since then, many other crimes have come up, with Gorge Floyd being the most debated in recent times. While some officers have not been indicted, others have faced the rule of law, such as Chauvin, who was found guilty of George Floyd's murder (US Department of Justice, 2022). These crimes led to the creation of the "Fergusson Effect," which is a theory that suggests that the increased public scrutiny in the media can result in a reluctance of police officers to engage in proactive policing activities (American Society of Evidence-Based Policing, 2023). While the Furgeson effect remains an area that has faced a lot of criticism, one thing that remains persistent is that there has been increased scrutiny from the media. Social media, in particular, has made spreading information faster and shaping public opinion easier. What remains unknown is what the police think about the issue. Therefore, this essay will analyze whether police officers think the media influences the public view of their role.
This paper aims to explain from a police point of view whether they believe that the media has a role in shaping public opinion about their roles. I draw on one in-depth interview with a patrol police officer, Officer Vassallo, to answer the following question; Do police officers believe that the media is influencing the public's view of their role? Using interview data collected, I argue that police officers agree that the media significantly impacts the public perceptions of their role, which can be challenging to the service.
The findings from this research make two significant contributions to the criminology literature. First is the need for an effective communication strategy between police officers and the media. While the media can be used to portray the police negatively, the opposite can also be true. Police must leverage the same to create a positive view of themselves and promote more accurate reporting. Additionally, the findings shed light on the perspectives of police on the media's influence on the perceptions of their role, which will provide valuable insights into the dynamics of the police and the media, which has been a topic of interest for criminology. The findings will also impact the policies put In place regarding the media, and hot police will positively use it.
Literature Review/Theory
Scholars have developed a framework to understand the relationship between the media and the police. One of the frameworks is the agenda-setting theory. According to Wanja and Muna (2021), agenda setting is the possibility that the media sets what the public thinks. This shows that the media can shape the public view of their role; with the ongoing debates about police racism and Black Lives Matter activists, the public, especially African Americans, view the police as a threat. Most black Americans do not trust the police to treat them fairly(Jones, 2021). The Bandura Social learning theory is one of the most useful theories for law enforcement officers as it emphasizes learning through social media. The media's portrayal of police enforcement can shape their behavior. This literature is important as it will lay a foundation for explaining the complex relationship between the media and the people.
Jones, J. M. (2021). Gallup.com; Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/352304/black-confidence-police-recovers-2020-low.aspx
Wanja, S., & Muna, W. (2021). Effects of Social Media on Security-Agenda Setting in Nairobi City County, Kenya. ResearchGate; IJCAB Publications. /publication/356309837_Effects_of_Social_Media_on_Security-Agenda_Setting_in_Nairobi_City_County_Kenya
Research has revealed that police can utilize the media to promote their accountability to the public. This is why police officers need to use the media and social media sites in an accountable manner. According to Beshears et al. (2019), police can use the media in various accountable ways. For instance, to garner community help to solve a crime and improve police communications and engagement between the communities and the police. This shows the power of media sites and their positive impact on people when positively utilized by the police. Additionally, police also need to provide their accounts of what happened whenever a case involving them is reported. This helps to create transparency between the police and the community. When this is not done, the citizens are left to rely on the media for information (Congressional Research Service, 2020). This literature is important as it helps highlight the measures that the police can take to ensure that they leverage the same media that is used to destroy them.
Beshears, M., & Bond, M. (2019). Improving Police Social Media Use Practices. International Journal of Social Science Studies, 7(5), 34. https://doi.org/10.11114/ijsss.v7i5.4449
Congressional Research Service. (2020). Public Trust and Law Enforcement- A Discussion for Policymakers. https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R43904.pdf
A report made by Terrizi revealed that negative news coverage about the police could significantly affect the community and police interactions, as police may feel that the public has more negative views about them. As a result, this makes them feel more distrustful of the public and have increased anxiety related to false accusations. The US Department of Justice revealed that as of 2020, only 24% of Americans interacted with the police. Still, surprisingly most people had negative perceptions of them because of the media (Harrell et al., 2020). The Congressional Research Service revealed that public trust in the police declined when the police were involved in media scandals; for instance, in 2015-2016, there were several high-profile deaths related to the police, which led to the decline in public trust and influence in their roles. This literature is important as it highlights that the negative perceptions of the media can result in a decreased interaction between police, which can manifest in several ways. One of the ways is not reporting crimes and increasing rates of crimes.
Congressional Research Service. (2020). Public Trust and Law Enforcement- A Discussion for Policymakers. https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R43904.pdf
Harrell, E., Davis, E., & Statisticians, B. (2020). Bureau of Justice Statistics · Statistical Tables Contacts Between Police and the Public, 2018 -Statistical Tables. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/cbpp18st.pdf
Terrizzi, J. (2022, July). Police and the Media - Cummings Foundation. Cummings Foundation. https://cummingscfbh.org/police-and-the-media/#:~:text=Additionally%2C%20news%20coverage%20can%20affect,being%20made%20against%20them%20(Nix%20%26
Another area of literature is negative media coverage and how it impacts their performance in practice. The negative media perceptions made officers feel less motivated and less self-legitimacy (Nix, 2020). Additionally, the negative media made police have increased anxiety, which is disadvantageous for the practice. This literature highlights the importance of understanding how media can impact police practices and explains why sometimes the police are inefficient in their duties. I also highlight the need for positive collaboration between the police and media to have a more effective workforce.
Nix, J. (2020). How Negative Publicity Impacts Police Officers – Crime & Justice Research Alliance. https://crimeandjusticeresearchalliance.org/rsrch/negative-publicity-impacts-police-officers/
Methods
The qualitative method I used to collect data is an in-depth interview with Officer Vassallo, a patrol police from the City of Florissant. Officer Vassallo has had a passion for law enforcement since he was young. The reason why I chose an interview is that it would provide me with a more in-depth understanding of the experiences of the police officer in practice (Knott et al. 2022), as well as provide me with increased input from the officer, primarily because I used open-ended questions, rather than close-ended questions that would limit the amount of information I get. Additionally, an interview would allow me to interact with the interviewee, which could help build the trust and rapport required for honest feedback. First utilized selective sampling, whereby I had to interview a police officer because my research question focuses on them. My inclusion criteria were that the officer needs to have at least two years of experience and consent to the interview. To get him to agree to the interview, I had to let him know the purpose of the discourse and its implications for police practice.
My interviewee was Officer Vassallo, who is Male and single as he identified that he only has a girlfriend and no kids. He is 32 years old and stated that it was a natural career for him because his family has served in the military and law enforcement. Vassallo is also qualified police. After obtaining his associate degree from St. Charles Community, he joined the Missouri Police Academy. He underwent field training and practiced part-time until he joined the patrol police officially. The interview was very interactive, as Officer Vassallo answered all the questions appropriately. We began the interview at 4.30 PM, which lasted around 45 minutes over the phone. I primarily focused on open-ended questions in the interview; for instance, I asked him to tell me about himself and how he got into law enforcement, his perception of media, etc. The questions were chronological, so I had to make him comfortable before we got into the main questions on what he thought of the media.
As a researcher with an identity outside the police scope, my identity shaped the data collection, as it helped me get more information from the interview. I was inquisitive to understand what the police officer's perception was of the influence of the media, and this made me ask more questions. While initially scared of talking to him, I gained confidence and engaged him respectfully. Additionally, the fact that I identified as an interviewer trying to get more information about the police service made him more comfortable engaging with me.
To aid in conducting the analysis, I had to ensure that the interview ...