Compliance on Demand: The Public's Response to Specific Police Requests

Abstract

Police often attempt to restore order and prevent illegal activity by calling on citizens to alter their behavior. Achieving compliance in these circumstances is an important test of officers' skills and an essential element of effective governance. This article assesses citizen compliance with specific police requests for orderly, legal behavior in 346 encounters observed in Richmond, Virginia. Citizens were compliant in 78% of the encounters. The effects on compliance of several potential influences are estimated in a logistic regression model: instrumental factors concerning the calculation of outcomes for the citizens, factors about the legitimacy of the police intervention, personal characteristics reflecting the citizens' social status and predisposition to compliance, and the officers' skill and work orientation. Significant effects are found in each category of variables, but the results are in some cases contrary to expectations. Legitimating factors, citizens' social status, and police skill and work orientation show particularly strong effects. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.