Surveying public attitudes towards police-perpetrated domestic violence: Does perpetrator occupation matter?

Police-perpetrated domestic violence (PPDV) has increasingly come to light over the past 30 years as a form of police misconduct. Given the importance of public attitudes for domestic violence prevention and for police–citizen relations, this study examined public perceptions of PPDV. Specifically, this research investigated whether a perpetrator's occupation as a police officer affects public views of domestic violence, to test whether police officers are held to a higher standard of conduct than people who are not police officers. The effect of perpetrator occupation on public perceptions of domestic violence was explored using survey data from a sample of 172 Australian respondents using a vignette design. Participants were randomly allocated to receive one of two vignettes depicting the same domestic violence scenario perpetrated by either a police officer ( n = 91) or a person who is not a police officer ( n = 81). Multivariate regressions revealed that, after controlling for relevant attitudinal factors and demographics, participants believed the police perpetrator should receive a longer custodial sentence, and was more deserving of dismissal from his occupation, compared with the non-police perpetrator. Though exploratory, the results of this study may inform criminal justice sentencing guidelines and institutional responses (such as occupational dismissal) to PPDV.