Justin Nix
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska, Omaha
Key Findings
- Officers who felt less motivated due to negative publicity expressed less self-legitimacy.
- The perception of danger in a police officer’s job was not significantly impacted by negative publicity.
Description
In the article, “The Impact of Negative Publicity on Police Self-Legitimacy,” Nix and his co-author examine the impact that negative publicity has on police officers in light of many visible events where police have used extreme force against citizens. There has been little research on how these events impact police officers. The researchers collected data by surveying 567 officers from sheriff’s department in a metropolitan city using a password protected website.The results showed that the officers who felt less motivated due to negative publicity expressed less self-legitimacy as well. The researchers also found that the perception of danger in a police officer’s job was not significantly impacted by negative publicity. The researchers concluded that these results should help build scholarship about police officers and how the external world impacts how they carry out their duties.