The Media, the Public, and the Law Enforcement Community: Correcting Misperceptions

By Colonel Michael Tooley, Chief, Montana Highway Patrol, Helena, Montana; Jeffrey Linkenbach, Senior Research Scientist, Department of Health and Human Development, Montana State University, and Director, National MOST of Us Institute for Social Norms, Bozeman, Montana; Brian J. Lande, Deputy Sheriff, Lake County, California, Sheriff’s Department; and Gary M. Lande, Associate Director, National MOST of Us Institute for Social Norms, Bozeman, Montana

The law enforcement profession has always been a tough business. Over the course of a career, law enforcement officers see the best and the worst in humanity. They may be thanked for what they do and then be spit upon not an hour later. Sometimes this leaves officers confused as to how the public they serve feels about them—and consequently, how they feel about the public.

Law enforcement officers often wear Kevlar vests to protect themselves from lawbreakers’ bullets. Over the years, officers also tend to develop an emotional “Kevlar exterior” to protect themselves from the negative things they see and feel.

In spite of well-developed emotional armor, it is sometimes impossible not to let some of this negativity slip inside and bring an officer down. But there are ways to cope. In Montana, for example, a partnership has been established between university-based researchers and the Montana Highway Patrol to help those who pledge a life of continuously positive service through the badge.

The formation of this partnership followed a legislative session in 2005, in which a task force was established to bring about change in Montana’s impaired-driving statutes. As the work of the group progressed, both law enforcement personnel and academics who were participating realized that they had much to contribute through the shared aspects of their respective disciplines.

One important revelation resulting from the work of the task force was that laws and those who enforce them enjoy enormous support from the public. This countered the perceptions of some participants, who had seen the worst in people over many years—people who did not support the mission and the actions of modern law enforcement agencies. The partnership formed when officers and researchers decided to take a closer look at this discrepancy.

Research conducted by Montana State University in the summer of 2006 points out numerous misperceptions on the part of the law enforcement community. What the mainstream media report and what the public as a whole believes are not the same. The research revealed overwhelming support for police officers and their efforts to reduce crime and keep neighborhoods safe. On the street, however, it is easy for officers to believe that the opposite is true, because they generally do not come into contact with the supportive segment of the population. The same research indicates that many police officers do in fact feel distrusted and unappreciated by the public.

Police Perception Study………  (go to link to read full article). 

http://policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display&article_id=1828&issue_id=62009