Is policing becoming a tainted profession? Media, public perceptions, and implications

Abstract

Summary Stigmatized professions are those where physical, social, and/or moral taints are applied. Stigma theorists hold that stigma is socially communicated and changes over time, but it is unclear if stigma content can be applied to those who are seen as powerful. Two studies examined how the impact of sociopolitical discourses on policing, a profession that carries legitimate power, on the tainting of the profession and distrust in policing. In an examination of archival news media clips on policing (N = 200), results show that media coverage over time (between 2011 and 2016) has used a more negative tone in discussing police–citizen interactions, and these findings varied by conservative versus liberal media. Importantly, across media sources, taints were ascribed to policing. In a second survey study, individuals directly ascribed taints to policing (N = 169). Relative to other jobs, policing was categorized as a pervasively stigmatized job (i.e., high frequency and strong potency of taints were applied). It was also found that those who discussed media stories tended to distrust police more. Implications for efforts to recruit, select, and train officers and to improve police–community relations are discussed; findings may also generalize to other public and community facing professions.

Perceptions of identity management in police-civilian interactions: considering the role of gender and race

“…Dirty work is used to describe occupations that are perceived as disgusting and/or degrading by the rest of society and that include tasks that are physically, socially or morally tainted (Hughes, 1951(Hughes, , 1958. Policing has been described as a stigmatized profession (Chatterjee and Ryan, 2020a;Kreiner et al, 2006). Officers report being aware of these stigmatizing attributes and state that negative media coverage, especially around incidents of racial bias and use of excessive force, has influenced public perception of officers for the worse (Chatterjee and Ryan, 2020a;Chatterjee et al, 2020b;Nix and Wolfe, 2017).…”

“…Policing has been described as a stigmatized profession (Chatterjee and Ryan, 2020a;Kreiner et al, 2006). Officers report being aware of these stigmatizing attributes and state that negative media coverage, especially around incidents of racial bias and use of excessive force, has influenced public perception of officers for the worse (Chatterjee and Ryan, 2020a;Chatterjee et al, 2020b;Nix and Wolfe, 2017). To manage the impact of occupational stigma, officers must regulate their professional identities on the job (Ashforth and Kreiner, 1999).…”

“…With the exception of Chatterjee et al (2019a), we are unaware of studies that investigate how observers' factor in the decidedly masculine culture of policing, stigmatization of the profession and/or general stereotypes regarding gender (Chatterjee and Ryan, 2020a;Heilman, 2012) into their evaluation of police-civilian interactions that involve a use of force claim. Thus, there is a need to examine potential gender effects in how officers' IM behaviors are perceived during these police-civilian interactions.…”

“…When observing officer-civilian interactions, people may tap into a powerful combination of their stereotypes about the policing profession (i.e. White, male and masculine; Raganella and White;, buy-in of stigma attributes (Chatterjee and Ryan, 2020a;Nix and Pickett, 2017) and a deep-rooted distrust of police as it relates to minorities (Holdaway, 1991;White et al, 2010). Research on intersectional identities in policing is limited and consideration of potential race effects in how female officers' IM behaviors are perceived during police-civilian interactions that involve a use of force claim is therefore vital.…”

“…Even as diversifying police forces has come to be seen as instrumental to building trust in policing, it is also the case that the profession has become stigmatized (Ashforth and Kreiner, 1999;Chatterjee and Ryan, 2020a;Kreiner et al, 2006). Facing public scrutiny over charges of racial discrimination, excessive force and various other forms of police misconduct (Jolicoeur and Grant, 2018;Nix and Pickett, 2017;Ruggs et al, 2016), the profession has attracted widespread protests (e.g.…”