First Responders’ Perceptions of the Presence of Support Canines in the Workplace

Objectives To experimentally examine public perceptions of police canine units. Methods As part of the between-subjects paradigm, participants were randomly assigned to view and rate an image of a police officer either with a police dog (i.e., as a police canine unit) or alone on eight dimensions: aggression, approachability, fairness, friendliness, intimidation, professionalism, respectfulness, and trustworthiness. Results The analyses reveal that the officer was perceived more negatively when presented with a police dog than when presented alone. Conclusions Police dogs play a multifaceted role in policing, including in crime control and public relations. In addition to their many functions, police canine units can also elicit many perceptual effects.

show abstract

An experimental examination of the perceptual paradox surrounding police canine units

Sandrin

Simpson

Gaub

2022

J Exp Criminol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Working Like a Dog: A Mixed-Method Study of Public Support for Police Dogs and Their Utilities

Sandrin,

Simpson,

Gaub

2024

Anthrozoös

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Kids, courts and canines: Evaluating the Justice Facility Dog Program through a therapeutic lens in the Perth Children's Court

Rock,

Gately

2024

Journal of Criminology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Court environments can be stressful and induce anxiety in victims, witnesses, and other court users. Taking heed from justice facilities in other jurisdictions, the Children's Court of Western Australia introduced Winston, a justice facility dog, at the Perth Children's Court facility to help reduce the stress and anxiety of victims, witnesses, and court users. This article presents survey ( n = 55) and interview data ( n = 17) from staff and stakeholders who reported positive changes in the court atmosphere, with limited negative impacts on the running of the court. Surveys were also conducted with child victims/survivors ( n = 13), caregivers ( n = 44), and other court users (including accused young people; n = 23). Children and caregivers’ results indicated significantly reduced stress and anxiety levels associated with attending the Children's Court after interacting with the facility dog. When analysed through a lens of therapeutic jurisprudence, the positive impacts on court-user well-being and limited impact on the court and legal processes solidified the therapeutic principles of the program. The findings of this study highlight that justice systems could implement similar positive therapeutic programs at other courts to reduce negative impacts on people attending and working at the facilities.

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

customersupport@researchsolutions.com

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

First Responders’ Perceptions of the Presence of Support Canines in the Workplace

Cited by 4 publications

References 43 publications

An experimental examination of the perceptual paradox surrounding police canine units

An experimental examination of the perceptual paradox surrounding police canine units

Working Like a Dog: A Mixed-Method Study of Public Support for Police Dogs and Their Utilities

Kids, courts and canines: Evaluating the Justice Facility Dog Program through a therapeutic lens in the Perth Children's Court

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About