Untangling the role of interactions in police satisfaction: Examining direct and indirect contacts with the police

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 secondary 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. Implications for further research and police policy are also addressed.