OFF THE WIRE
What Happens When We Don't Trust Law Enforcement?
The Importance of Law Enforcement's Role in Our Society's Well-Being.
Clinical psychologist Michael Friedman examines how an untrustworthy and unaccountable police force can impact society.
The tragic shooting death of Michael Brown and chokehold death of Eric Garner by police has brought into sharp focus the fact that many Americans simply do not trust law enforcement. Recent polls
suggest that the majority of Americans do not feel that police are
adequately held accountable for their actions, treat racial groups
equally or use the right amount of force. This lack of trust undermines
the legitimacy
of law enforcement and creates an unequal society in which some feel
comforted by law enforcement while others feel suspicious and
distrustful. Members of the community are more likely to feel safe and cooperate
in investigations if they trust law enforcement; thus, it is in the
best interest of all stakeholders to understand and build trust in law
enforcement.
Trust
can be defined as the "belief that someone or something is reliable,
good, honest, effective." High levels of trust promote healthy
interactions, whereas low levels of trust undermine constructive
relationships. Trust in law enforcement is essential for the belief in
the legitimacy of law enforcement, or feeling of obligation to obey the law and defer to decisions made by legal authorities.
Research
shows that perceived legitimacy of law enforcement is crucial to
effective law enforcement. One study of 830 New York City residents who
were predominantly either white, Hispanic or African-American examined
whether perceived legitimacy of police, which included measures of
trust, obligation and confidence in police produced increased cooperation
with police in law enforcement efforts (e.g., reporting a crime,
assisting law enforcement officers) over time. The results show that
trust was significantly related to not only cooperation with the police
but also — to a lesser extent — cooperation with others in the
community. These findings have been replicated
in other samples. In a study of 300 Muslim-Americans, it was found that
perceived legitimacy was associated with willingness to cooperate with
police on terrorism investigations. Further work suggests that it is trust that drives this effect. One study of 638 high school students ages 18 and older in Slovenia found that of the various factors that make up "legitimacy" it is trust in police that most predicts cooperation.
Research demonstrates that minority groups
consistently show less trust in law enforcement. This difference in
trust appears to be based on two things. First, minority groups report
having more direct negative personal experiences
with law enforcement. Further, there is evidence of discrepancies in
procedural justice outcomes. Research shows that minority groups are
disproportionately incarcerated; as an example, African-Americans
comprise 14 percent of drug users but 37 percent of those arrested for
drug offenses. Despite the fact that minority groups make up a large
percentage of people subjected to "stop and frisk," white people are more likely to have drugs or weapons.
In the most extreme cases, when lack of trust is so severe, perceived discrimination
can be associated not only with poor cooperation with police, but also
negative mental and physical health consequences. One recent
meta-analysis of 134 studies found that perceived discrimination
has a significant negative effect on both mental and physical health.
Perceived discrimination also produces significantly heightened stress
responses and is related to participation in unhealthy behaviors and
non-participation in healthy behaviors. And there has been a call for
looking at the public health effects of witnessing police misconduct and
brutality.
So what can be done?
Across the board, various entities have suggested that increased transparency
is one of the best ways to build trust. There are several concrete ways
that transparency could be increased. Perhaps most strikingly is the
important need for data
to be aggregated, organized and shared across law enforcement and
community agencies. For example, research suggests that currently it is
unknown how many people are killed by police each year. There have been similar calls for transparency in the results of evaluating rape kits.
These recent tragic deaths have ignited particular interest in whether police should be videotaped during interactions with the public. The debate
has included calls for more flexibility allowing journalists and
citizens to videotape police officers. Current state laws do not
explicitly say whether this behavior is legal even though courts have
upheld a person's First Amendment right to record public events such as
protests or traffic stops. More, evidence suggests
that if police wear video cameras so that their behavior is recorded,
everyone wins; studies suggest that complaints are radically reduced,
and in the case of complaints police are exonerated far more often than
if no recording existed.
There is a compelling need for more
communication between law enforcement agencies and community
organizations. This type of approach includes regular meetings with
community leaders and law enforcement. Initial research suggests
positive results in involving community leaders with cooperation, even
for the smallest infractions. There is also evidence suggesting that
diversity training for police can improve relations with the community.
Further, on a policy level, there must be examination of laws that
result in unequal treatment.
Law enforcement agencies and the
people that serve deserve our respect for putting their lives on the
line to protect us. Similarly, our community deserves to exist in a
context where everyone receives the same benefit from the legal system.
One of the best ways that we can show that respect is by being honest
with ourselves and with others when trust has broken down and seeking
ways to rebuild.
Because when trust is broken, everyone loses.
Dr.
Mike Friedman is a clinical psychologist in Manhattan and a member of
EHE International’s Medical Advisory Board. Follow Dr. Friedman on Twitter @DrMikeFriedman and EHE @EHEintl
