The Criminological Cultivation of African American Municipal Police Officers: Sambo or Sellout (original) (raw)

The Criminological Cultivation of African American Municipal Police Officers

Race and Justice, 2014

African American municipal police officers have been historically underrepresented and often face a double marginalization, arguably due to fellow officer and public perceptions. This study represents a first-step criminological cultivation analysis of the quantity and quality of African American municipal police officer depictions in the core cop film genre (1971–2011). Utilizing the unified film population identification methodology, 112 films were identified and examined to determine the overarching messages conveyed through the genre. Findings revealed that White officers were depicted in the lead or joint leading role in 89% (n ¼ 100) and African Americans in 19% (n ¼ 21) of films. However, White officers were predominantly depicted in a serious light unless sharing the lead with a minority, while African American officers were predominantly depicted in a comedic light. Further, the issue of double marginalization was rarely depicted. The potential implications of these portrayals on officer recruitment, retention, and perceived law enforcement legitimacy are discussed and second-step criminological cultivation studies to determine if a cultivation effect exists are proposed.

Cultivating Police Use of Force Perceptions through Cinema: Maintaining the Racial Divide

Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society, 2019

This study draws on Robert E. Park's writings regarding the impact of cinema on acculturation and James Baldwin's extensive reflections on the role of entertainment media in promoting the racial divide in the United States. Public opinion studies following the Trayvon Martin case and others reveal a racial divide regarding decisions to not charge or acquit officers. Research has shown that most members of the general public have no personal knowledge of both the criminal justice system and other races. Therefore, opinions are largely dependent on knowledge garnered through the media. Cultivation theory postulates that long-term exposure to specific media messages can result in subjects adopting specific opinions. Before a cultivation effect can be determined, the messages conveyed must be identified. This exploratory first step cultivation theory analysis examines municipal police officer use of force scenes in the first 40 years of the core cop film genre leading up to the killing of Trayvon Martin. A total population of 112 films was systematically identified, and all 468 police use of force scenes contained within the genre served as the units of analysis. Each scene was examined to determine depiction patterns and messages conveyed based on the race of officer. Findings revealed that White officers were overwhelmingly represented in use of force scenes, while minority officer scenes were isolated to specific years and films. Findings also demonstrated a dependence on a White officer's presence when minority officers used force on Whites. The historical origins and role of such depictions in cultivating current public perceptions of use of force are discussed.

Manufacturing white criminals: Depictions of criminality and violence on Law & Order

This study examines exposure to the police drama television genre and its impact on perceptions of crime and racial criminality. Content analyses of three seasons of Law & Order were examined to evaluate the show’s portrayal of race and crime compared to actual crime statistics for New York City during the same periods. A survey was also conducted to examine perceptions of personal safety and the influence of television’s depiction of race and crime. Results suggest whites are disproportionately portrayed as criminals five to eight times more often on police dramas compared to actual crime statistics for the city of New York, exposure to police dramas increases beliefs of threats to personal safety, and exposure to police dramas leads to elevated perceptions of white criminality among non-whites. Results provide additional support for cultivation theory and “Mean World Syndrome,” and implications for delimitation and racial distrust.

Race, Ethnicity and the Female Cop: Differential Patterns of Representation

Journal of Urban Affairs, 2001

This article examines factors hypothesized to be associated with the employment of female police officers in US municipal law enforcement agencies. Female officer representation is investigated within three primary racial or ethnic groups-Caucasians, African Americans, and Hispanics. This study utilizes data collected from a representative sample of police departments serving populations over 25,000 residents across the US during the period of 1993 to 1996. The primary findings of the research suggest that a small but noteworthy increase in the number of female officers occurred during this three-year period. In addition, it was found that variation in the proportion of female police officers hired in each racial or ethnic group was influenced by different sets of external and internal explanatory variables. Previous research treating female officer representation as a single aggregate group is misleading to the extent that it hides the observed cross-racial and ethnic differences observed here.

Police Brutality, Over-Policing, and Mass Incarceration in African American Film

Journal of Black Studies, 2019

This article seeks to examine the role of the police in African American film. Looking at the last three decades of filmmaking, five films stand out as important examples for this study: Do the Right Thing, Boyz n the Hood, Set it Off, Training Day, and Get Out. These films are both consistent in the message regarding the police and African American communities, and are separated by time to demonstrate the distinct differences in how that message has been shown. An examination of the real-world relationship between the two groups is also studied, to better understand the accuracy of the films. The gendering of film and police brutality is a further discussion within the article in regard to the lack of female African American directors in Hollywood and the less frequently discussed police violence against African American women. These issues are addressed through a combination of film analysis and secondary source data on the police interaction and brutality in the African American ...

White, black, or blue cops? Race and citizen assessments of police officers

Journal of Criminal Justice, 2000

Contemporary public policy presupposes that police officers should be racially representative of the areas in which they work in order to foster good police-community relations. This article examines citizen assessments of Black and White officers and preferences regarding the kind of officers they want assigned to their neighborhoods. In-depth interviews were conducted with 169 residents of three neighborhoods in Washington, DC. The findings suggest that neighborhood context influences residents' views on the behavior of White and Black officers; that African Americans' evaluations of White and Black officers often challenge the conventional wisdom; and that there is considerable support for a policy of deploying racially integrated teams of officers in Black neighborhoods.

Black Police Associations and the Police Occupational Culture

Sociology of Crime, Law and …, 2007

In recent years, Black Police Associations (BPAs) have become key forces of change within the police service, involved in minority ethnic recruitment and retention initiatives, working closely with senior management, and also serving as mechanisms of support minority ethnic ...