Tammy Rinehart Kochel
Associate Professor Of Criminology & Criminal Justice, Southern Illinois University
Key Findings
- Black officers reported experiencing double marginality due to their identities of being Black and police officers.
- Black officers were victim to more negative treatment during the Ferguson protest than their White counterparts.
- Sixty-percent of Black officers reported having unsupportive family members while none of their White counterparts reported similar unsupportive family members.
- Sixty-percent of Black officers acknowledged empathy and understanding for underlying issues that led to the protests while only 9% of White officers expressed the same sentiment.
- Black officers also reported more resiliency and showed significantly better outcomes, such as fewer mental and emotional effects, higher self-legitimacy, and lower interference from the Ferguson effect, than their non-Black peers.
Description
In the article, “Black Officers’ Experiences Conducting Protest Policing,” Kochel examines the experiences of Black police officers during the 2014 protests in Ferguson, MO. As little is known on this topic, Kochel aimed to understand the impact that racial justice protests can have on a Black officers’ mental health and confidence in handling crises. Kochel’s mixed-methods study included individual interviews with 45 officers and a survey of 218 officers that had been a part of protest policing in Ferguson to compare the experiences of Black and non-Black officers. During this time period, officers were facing less proactivity, motivation and job satisfaction and more apprehension about use of force, which became known as the Ferguson effect. The study found Black officers reported experiencing double marginality due to their identities of being Black and police officers. Black officers were victim to more negative treatment during the Ferguson protest than their White counterparts. Sixty-percent of Black officers reported having unsupportive family members while none of their White counterparts reported similar unsupportive family members. Sixty-percent of Black officers acknowledged empathy and understanding for underlying issues that led to the protests while only 9% of White officers expressed the same sentiment. Black officers also reported more resiliency and showed significantly better outcomes, such as fewer mental and emotional effects, higher self-legitimacy, and lower interference from the Ferguson effect, than their non-Black peers. In conclusion, Kochel notes the importance of utilizing these findings to advance minority-hiring practices in police agencies.