III. Police Misconduct

Race and Perceptions of Police Misconduct

This article examines perceptions of police misconduct in the United States and the factors that influence these perceptions. Using data from a large, nationally representative survey of whites, African Americans, and Hispanics, we examine how citizens’ views of four types of police misconduct—verbal abuse, excessive force, unwarranted stops, and corruption—are shaped by race and other factors,...

applying social learning theory to police misconduct

Although numerous studies have attempted to understand the causes of various forms of police misconduct, there is still no clear theoretical explanation of police misbehavior. Akers’ social learning theory posits that peer associations, attitudes, reinforcement, and modeling are predictors of delinquency and crime in general. With this article, we seek to determine if the theory can account for...

Bad Lady Cops : Explaining Sex Differences in Police Officer Misconduct

Police Misconduct as a Cause of Wrongful Convictions

This study gathers data from two mass exonerations resulting from major police scandals, one involving the Rampart division of the L.A.P.D., and the other occurring in Tulia, Texas. To date, these cases have received little systematic attention by wrongful convictions scholars. Study of these cases, however, reveals important differences among subgroups of wrongful convictions. Whereas eyewitne...

Reducing Complaints Against Police and Preventing Misconduct: A Diagnostic Study Using Hot Spot Analysis

This study demonstrates the potential for using complaints data to identify and remedy misconduct problems in policing, and to reduce complaints. The study is distinctive in focusing on units of police management responsibility at the operational level. Drawing on the criminological concept of crime mapping, analysis of complaints was conducted at a more specific level than previously attempted...