Untangling the role of interactions in police satisfaction: Examining direct and indirect contacts with the police
| Date | 01 December 2021 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X20960790 |
| Author | Carol R Rinke,Jason Trent,Frank Merenda |
| Published date | 01 December 2021 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
2021, Vol. 94(4) 496 –514
Article
Untangling the role of
interactions in police
satisfaction: Examining
direct and indirect
contacts with the police
Frank Merenda, Jason Trent and Carol R Rinke
Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA
Abstract
Effective policing requires the support of the communities being served, a guiding principle
that has been adopted by law enforcement across the country and around the world. To
this end, scholars and police executives have examined a variety of predictors that can
impact upon perceptions of procedural justice and satisfaction with police. Grounded in an
Experience with Police theoretical model, this paper examines the impact of procedural
justice upon police satisfaction and untangles the influences of direct citizen contact versus
indirect contact upon that interaction. Perceptions of procedural justice shaped by both
direct and indirect contacts were shown to impact police satisfaction. Further, a sec-
ondary analysis indicated that regression weights were stronger for perceptions shaped by
indirect contact. Finally, a procedurally just process was found to be a key predictor for
satisfaction and equally essential as compared to the results of that encounter. Implica-
tions for further research and police policy are also addressed.
Keywords
Experience with police, procedural justice, direct and indirect contacts, police
satisfaction
The police role has expanded over the last several decades from solely crime fighter
to collaborator and problem solver (Braga, 2015; Gill et al., 2014; Przeszlowski and
Crichlow, 2017; Yuksel and Tepe, 2013). There is consensus among scholars that in
Corresponding author:
Frank Merenda, Marist College, 3399 North Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 USA.
Email: Frank.Merenda@marist.edu
The Police Journal:
Theory, Practice and Principles
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DOI: 10.1177/0032258X20960790
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Merenda et al. 497
order for law enforcement to effectively carry out this expanded role, they need to be
perceived by residents as procedurally just. This in turn will lead to citizen satisfaction
and a willingness to work with the police to address criminal as well as non-criminal
issues within their communities (Haberman, 2016; Hinds and Murphy, 2007; Mazerolle
et al., 2013a; Skogan, 2005; Tankebe 2013; Tyler, 2003, 2006; Weisburd, 2016). This
philosophy has not only been adopted across the United States, but in the United King-
dom, Australia, Canada, and other countries around the world (Braga, 2014).
Procedural justice, defined as treating people fairly and with dignity, strongly corre-
lates with police satisfaction and willingness to cooperate (Hinds and Murphy, 2007;
Skogan, 2005; Tankebe 2013; Tyler, 2006). Public satisfaction with the police is an
important area of research as it is linked with citizens’ confidence in and support for
police, which is significant to their willingness to report crime and suspicious events,
obey police decisions and rules, and comply with the law more generally (Braga, 2015;
Gil et al., 2014; Lytle and Bolger, 2015; Yuksel and Tepe, 2013). Public support for
police also has implications fo r the effectiveness of police to control crime via the
allocation of resources to policing tasks (Braga, 2015; Gil et al., 2014; Hinds and
Murphy, 2007).
Although the majority of citizens hold favourable attitudes towards the police (Fin-
gerhut, 2017; Gallup, 2018; Yusef and Tepe, 2013), community residents at times
become disillusioned due to dissatisfaction from a direct police encounter (Bradford
et al., 2009; Mazerolle et al., 2013b; Skogan, 2006; Tyler et al., 2013), indirect knowl-
edge of noteworthy incidents publicized through the media, and/or second-hand infor-
mation received via family and frie nds (Hohl et al., 2010; Reisig and Parks, 2003;
Warren, 2011; Weitzer and Tuch, 2005). Therefore, many scholars continue to try and
isolate the factors most closely associated with satisfaction with police.
Empirical evidence exists for the effect of procedural justice upon satisfaction with
the police, as well as the influence of demographic and contextual variables such as race,
age, neighbourhood structure, perception of crime, and safety (e.g., Gill et al., 2014).
Moreover, citizens’ perceptions of procedural justice through direct and indirect contact
(via media, narratives from family and friends) and their consequent impact upon satis-
faction with law enforcement has also been found to be influential in shaping police
satisfaction. In fact, scholars have suggested that the type of contact with the police may
be highly influential on police satisfaction (Nivette and Akoensi, 2019; Reisig et al.,
2017; Warren, 2011). However, because the vast majority of prior research has been
conducted on the independent effects of various types of contacts, rarely has their
saliency for satisfaction been directly compared.
This type of inquiry could provide important implications for the many police depart-
ments currently utilizing various forms of social media and other communication plat-
forms in order to tell ‘their story’, as little empirical evidence exists to support the notion
that indirect contact with police has prominence as compared to just and unjust direct
encounters. This is particularly significant for departments affected by diminished bud-
gets and minimal resources, who need to utilize their time and allocate personnel in the
most efficient manner possible. Providing additional empirical evidence that can support
specific police strategies can assist in not only justifying those policies and budgetary
2The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles XX(X)
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